Does religion constrain the risky sex behaviour associated with HIV/AIDS?

C-Tier
Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2009
Volume: 41
Issue: 6
Pages: 791-802

Authors (2)

Maury Granger (not in RePEc) Gregory Price (University of New Orleans)

Score contribution per author:

0.503 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This article examines the likely effectiveness of public health interventions designed to change the risky sexual behaviour associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) by Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs). We utilize data from the General Social Survey (GSS) to estimate an economic model of sexual behaviour. Our theoretical approach proceeds by rationalizing, on evolutionary grounds, the existence of sexual activity in individual preference functions, with unobservable costs imposed by religious beliefs and participation. Given the objective of utility maximization, we justify the existence of demand functions for sexual activity that generate empirically testable hypotheses about the effects of religion and religious participation on risky sexual activity. Our results suggest that, at least in the case of heterosexuals, FBOs can indeed influence the risky sexual behaviour that is associated with the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:taf:applec:v:41:y:2009:i:6:p:791-802
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29