Race/ethnic-specific social cohesion and social capital are associated with race/ethnic-specific late HIV diagnosis.

Trust in neighbors’ association with late HIV diagnosis varied by race/ethnicity.

Social cohesion and social capital reported by Black/African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos are associated with better HIV outcomes among whites but not the specific ethnic/racial groups.

Race-specific differences in distribution of social capital and social cohesion should be considered in HIV prevention interventions.

We examined whether race/ethnic-specific social cohesion is associated with race/ethnic-specific HIV diagnosis rates using Bayesian space-time zero-inflated Poisson multivariable models, across 376 Census tracts. Social cohesion data were from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, 2008—2015 and late HIV diagnosis data from eHARS system, 2009—2016. Areas where trust in neighbors reported by Black/African Americans was medium (compared to low) had lower rates of late HIV diagnosis among Black/African Americans (Relative Risk (RR)=0.52, 95% credible interval (CrI)= 0.34, 0.80). In contrast, areas where trust in neighbors reported by Black/African Americans were highest had lower late HIV diagnosis rates among Whites (RR=0.35, 95% CrI= 0.16, 0.76). Race/ethnic-specific differences in social cohesion may have implications for designing interventions aimed at modifying area-level social factors to reduce racial disparities in late HIV diagnosis.

HIV/AIDS

social capital

social cohesion

Race/Ethnicity

social justice

social connectedness

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.