Takyi Baffour K
Department of Sociology, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-1905, USA.
Soc Sci Med. 2003 Mar;56(6):1221-34. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00122-3.
Since the late 1970s when the first cases of HIV/AIDS were identified in Africa, there has been an upsurge of research on the epidemic. Although religious involvement may be germane to AIDS protective and risk behavior, few of these studies deal with religion and AIDS. This article contributes to the discourse on religion and health in Africa by analysing the interrelationship between religion and AIDS behavior in Ghana, a West African country at the early stages of the AIDS epidemic, and one where religious activities are more pronounced. We explore whether a woman's knowledge of HIV/AIDS is associated with her religious affiliation, and whether religious affiliation influences AIDS preventive (protective) attitudes. Findings from our analysis of Ghanaian data indicate that religious affiliation has a significant effect on knowledge of AIDS. However, we did not find religious affiliation to be associated with changes in specific protective behavior, particularly the use of condoms. The limitations and implications of the study are discussed, promising directions for further research on religion and AIDS protective and risk behaviors are also discussed, and the design and development of culturally sensitive programs to help in the ongoing AIDS prevention efforts in the region are proposed.
自20世纪70年代末非洲首次发现艾滋病病毒/艾滋病病例以来，对这一流行病的研究激增。尽管宗教参与可能与艾滋病防护和风险行为密切相关，但这些研究中很少涉及宗教与艾滋病的关系。本文通过分析宗教与艾滋病行为在加纳的相互关系，为非洲宗教与健康的讨论做出贡献。加纳是一个处于艾滋病流行早期阶段且宗教活动更为突出的西非国家。我们探讨了女性对艾滋病病毒/艾滋病的认知是否与其宗教信仰有关，以及宗教信仰是否会影响艾滋病预防（防护）态度。我们对加纳数据的分析结果表明，宗教信仰对艾滋病知识有显著影响。然而，我们并未发现宗教信仰与特定防护行为的变化有关，尤其是避孕套的使用。文中讨论了该研究的局限性和意义，还讨论了宗教与艾滋病防护及风险行为进一步研究的有前景方向，并提出了设计和开发具有文化敏感性的项目，以助力该地区正在进行的艾滋病预防工作。
