For people living with HIV to get and stay healthy, suppress the virus and reduce their chances of transmitting the disease to others, they must get treatment and stay in care. But according to the most current findings, only 38 percent of African Americans living with HIV consistently remained in care, compared with 50 percent of Latino Americans and 49 percent of white Americans.

Researchers suggest the big reason there’s a low percentage of African Americans living with HIV who stay in care is socioeconomic.

In the United States, black and Hispanic people suffer the highest poverty rates. People with low income lack health insurance and have limited access to high-quality health care, housing and HIV prevention education.

Additionally, African Americans face stigma, fear, discrimination, homophobia and negative perceptions that discourage HIV testing in their communities. “These factors may explain why African Americans have worse outcomes on the HIV continuum of care,” notes the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.