Objective Area-based measures of socioeconomic status (SES) are increasingly used to study health disparities among people living with HIV (PLWH), with wide variation in how they are defined and applied across studies and settings. This study synthesises the types of area-based measures of SES used in Canada and the USA, the domains captured and their associations with health outcomes among PLWH.
Methods A scoping review of studies published in English between 2012 and 2025 was conducted using PubMed and Web of Science. The search combined ‘HIV’ with terms related to area-based SES measures.
Eligible studies included PLWH, were based in Canada or the USA, used area-based SES measures and assessed health outcomes. Results We screened 3470 studies: 56 met inclusion criteria.
Most were US-based (n=53) and focused solely on PLWH (n=46). Area-based SES was measured using composite (n=34), single (n=16) or both types of indicators (n=6), all drawn from census data.
The most common SES domain was income/poverty (n=56), the most common geographic unit was census tract (n=19) and the most common health outcome assessed was viral load/suppression (n=29).
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 04 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on Area-based measures of socioeconomic status in studies assessing health outcomes among people living with HIV in Canada and the USA: a scoping review.
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