Cross-posted from HIV in the United States: What's New from CDC's Division of HIV Prevention

[On August 22, 2023], the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published data from the 2021 cycle (June 2021–May 2022) of the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP). MMP is an annual, cross-sectional complex sample survey that reports nationally representative estimates of behavioral and clinical characteristics of adults with diagnosed HIV infection in the United States. This report provides information critical for achieving national HIV-related goals, including data used to monitor five National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) quality of life indicators and HIV stigma.

Having a high quality of life is important for everyone, including people with HIV. The latest MMP report shows that:

• The percentage of people with diagnosed HIV who reported good or better health was 72% in 2018 and 69% in 2021 (2025 NHAS goal 95%).
• The percentage of people with diagnosed HIV who had an unmet need for mental health services was 24% in 2017 and 28% in 2021 (2025 NHAS goal 12%).
• During 2018–2021, unstable housing or homelessness among people with diagnosed HIV decreased from 21% to 17% (2025 NHAS goal 11%).
• Between 2017 and 2021, the percentage of people with diagnosed HIV who reported unemployment ranged from 14% to 18%, with 15% reporting unemployment in 2021 (2025 NHAS goal 8%).
• The percentage of people with diagnosed HIV who reported hunger or food insecurity was 21% in 2017 and 16% in 2021 (2025 NHAS goal 11%).
• HIV stigma was measured with a score ranging from 0 (indicating no stigma) to 100 (indicating high stigma). Based on the score, the median HIV stigma score was 31 in 2018 and 29 in 2021 (2025 NHAS goal 16).

Despite areas of progress in recent years, more must be done to reach the 2025 NHAS goals. CDC is collaborating with partners to improve the reach of HIV prevention programs and services that can reduce HIV stigma and improve quality of life for people with HIV.

For more information on these findings from MMP, please see the full report and key findings.