Religion had protective effects on sexual risk among rural Blacks in Rural South

HIV infection among African Americans has been an epidemic for more than two decades. The incidence of HIV and other STIs is much greater among blacks than among whites. For example, in 2010 only 12% of the population was African American yet they represented 44% of new cases with the Deep South being dramatically impacted. African American drug users are especially high risk for HIV/STI. Religion is an important cultural and social construct in many rural, African American, and Southern communities in the U.S. Given this importance, prevention specialists have called for faith-based elements to be added to sexual risk reduction efforts for these communities. This research investigation examined the relationship between well-defined dimensions of religion and specific sexual behaviors among African Americans living in the rural southern United States who use cocaine.