Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine if religious affiliation and frequency of attendance at religious services were associated with HIV risky behaviors among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The participants are HIV positive clients of a community based HIV/AIDS outreach facility (CBHAOF) located in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. The participants completed the questionnaire during their medical visits to the clinic at their own convenience and that of the facility’s staff. A total of 341 questionnaires were distributed to PLWHA and 326 (96%) were fully completed and returned. There were more male than female participants (56 versus 42%). The majority of the respondents (67%) were between 30 and 49 years of age. Nearly two thirds of the participants (64%) were African Americans whilst 36% were other races combined (White = 29%, Hispanic = 3% and other races = 4%). A chi-square test was used to examine the association between selected variables. Findings show substantial variations of selected HIV risky behaviors according to religious affiliation and frequency of attendance at religious services (p < 0.05). The study findings suggest the importance of religious affiliation and frequency of attendance at religious services in reducing HIV risky behaviors among PLWHA. The findings have implications for HIV/AIDS prevention and we recommend that it is important to incorporate Faith-based organizations in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

Key words: Religious affiliation, attendance, religious services, HIV/AIDS risky behaviors, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).