title: Religiosity, spirituality, and HIV risk behaviors among African American women from four rural counties in the southeastern U.S.
abstract: In a cross-sectional survey of 1,013 African American women from rural Alabama and North Carolina, we examined the relationship of (1) organizational religiosity (i.e., religious service attendance), (2) non-organizational religiosity (e.g., reading religious materials), and (3) spirituality with these outcomes: women's reports of their sexual behaviors and perceptions of their partners' risk characteristics. Women with high non-organizational religiosity, compared with low, had fewer sex partners in the past 12 months (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR): 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.42, 0.80) and were less likely to have concurrent partnerships (aPR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.73). Similar results were observed for spirituality, and protective but weaker associations were observed for organizational religiosity. Weak associations were observed between organizational religiosity, non-organizational religiosity, and spirituality with partners' risk characteristics. Further exploration of how religiosity and spirituality are associated with protective sexual behaviors is needed to promote safe sex for African American women.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ludema
authors.forename: Irene A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.forename: Becky L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Cathy A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Villar-Loubet
authors.forename: Eleanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McLellan-Lemal
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: O'Daniels
authors.forename: Adaora A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Adimora
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000407:Alabama; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D009657:North Carolina; D012067:Religion; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012424:Rural Population; D021841:Safe Sex; D012747:Sexual Partners; D029181:Spirituality; D055815:Young Adult