Violence against women significantly more likely after high-risk sex

A study of the victimization of women who were living in areas of high poverty and HIV prevalence in multiple cities across the U.S. has shown that high-risk-sex, characterized by one or more HIV risk factors, was associated with a significantly greater likelihood of physical violence against the female participant within the subsequent 6 months. Detailed results of this study, its broader significance in light of the larger problem of violence against women, and implications of these findings for HIV prevention initiatives are discussed in an article published in Journal of Women's Health.

"HIV-Risk Characteristics Associated with Violence Against Women: A Longitudinal Study Among Women in the United States," was coauthored by Brooke Montgomery, Ph.D., MPH, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock) and a team of researchers from Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA), Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University (Atlanta, GA), University of Washington (Seattle), Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA), UNC School of Medicine and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University (Washington, DC), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Baltimore, MD), Columbia University School of Social Work (New York, NY), and West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute (Morgantown).

In the accompanying editorial "Elevating Black Women in Contextually-Relevant Ways: A Top Priority in Violence and HIV Prevention Work," Amy Bonomi, Ph.D., MPH, Michigan State University (East Lansing) lauds the researchers for focusing primarily on black women (86% of the study population), noting that they "... have been historically under-represented in research and in larger societal conversations about violence against women."

"The findings by Montgomery, et al serve as an important call to action to prioritize black women in violence, sex risk, and HIV prevention programming across health care, public health, and broader societal settings, and to elevate their voices more broadly," states Dr. Bonomi.