The Relationship Between Church Attendance and Discussions about Sexual Health Communication Among Black Women

Introduction: Rates of HIV are staggering among urban Black women in the USA. In 2009, the rate of new HIV infections among Black women was 15 times that of White women. Effectively addressing the burden of HIV among Black women may benefit from merging traditional and non-traditional mechanisms of HIV education, prevention and treatment efforts. Evidence from the past 20 years of research strongly supports religious participation as a protective factor for physical and psychological well-being among African Americans. Having discussions about HIV/STIs is an important step to promoting risk reduction norms. Furthermore, sexual health interventions focusing on social networks have the potential to change norms and ultimately change behaviors among network members. Through the current analysis, we aimed to understand how church attendance was related to Black women’s discussions about HIV/STI and sexual risk reduction with their friends and sex partners.

Methods:Participants were 434 HIV negative Black women who were at high risk for contracting HIV through heterosexual sex. They were recruited from Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and Audio-Computer-Assisted Self-Interviews (ACASI). Fifty-seven percent of the participants attended church once a month or more (regular attendees) and 26% reported having a risky sexual partner. Data were analyzed using bivariate correlations and multiple linear regressions.

Results: There was a significant positive relationship between women’s sexual health discussions with friends and their sexual health discussions with their sex partners (r = .53, p <.001). Accounting for individual factors, Black Women who attended church regularly were more likely than women who did not attend church regularly to discuss HIV/STI and sexual risk reduction with their sex partners (t = 2.942, p =.003) and friends (t = 2.019, p =.044). Compared to older women, younger women were more likely to have sexual health discussions with their sex partners (t = -3.17, p = .002).  Additionally, Black women who had a risky sexual partner also were more likely than women who did not have a risky partner to discuss HIV/STI and sexual risk reduction with their sex partners (t = 2.019, p=.044).

Conclusions: Findings suggest that regular religious participation among Black women promotes sexual health communication with friends and sex partners. Efforts to reduce HIV incidence and HIV-related disparities among Black women may benefit by taking a social network approach with Black women. Future health risk communication messages should consider generational/age differences when promoting the advantages of sexual health discussions, particularly in faith settings.