April 4 : According to a study issued today by the RAND Corporation, HIV-positive people, who believe that religion is an important part of their lives, are likely to have fewer sexual partners and engage in high-risk sexual behavior less frequently than other people with the virus that causes AIDS.

David Kanouse, a RAND senior behavioural scientist and principal investigator on the project, said the study did not identify what specific component of religiosity made a difference in sexual activity. However, he said two factors – moral beliefs and membership in a faith community – may be important.

“Moral beliefs may indicate an underlying altruism and a desire to make sure no one else is infected with HIV. Promoting these feelings could then be used as a component of HIV prevention programs,” Kanouse said.

“These are some significant findings about the role of religiosity in the lives of people who are HIV-positive,” said Frank H. Galvan, lead author of the study and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior with the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles.

Religion remains a dominant force in America today, but the main focus of many faith communities is sexual abstinence, rather than examining how else religious beliefs may help to prevent the spread of HIV, according to Galvan.

“This study suggests that there’s a role for religious institutions to play in the fight against the spread of HIV. They have these core belief systems that do have a positive impact on the lives of people who are HIV-positive and who are sexually active. Religiosity is an untapped resource in the whole struggle against HIV and AIDS, and should be looked at more thoroughly,” Galvan said.

Catholics were less likely than other mainline Christians, non-Christians and non-religious people to report unprotected sex. Catholics also were less likely to report high-risk sex than other mainline Christians and reported fewer partners than non-Christians.

There was no statistical difference between Evangelicals and Catholics in reported sexual activity. Evangelicals were as likely as Catholics to have fewer sexual partners, and equally likely to engage less frequently in unprotected and high-risk sex.

Galvan said the RAND study’s findings are not likely to have changed over time. He said the findings are consistent with other studies that have found a link between religiosity and fewer lifetime sexual partners and an inverse relationship between religiosity and other high-risk behaviors, such as substance abuse.

Other studies have found that gay men report a similar rate of attendance at religious services as male heterosexuals, and about the same rate in the frequency of prayer as do female heterosexuals. African-Americans, who have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, also report high levels of both attendance at religious services and prayer.

The researchers said they don’t understand why there were differences between the different denominations, including why Catholics were more likely to use condoms despite the Catholic Church’s prohibition on birth control, but said it was a point worthy of additional research and further exploration by faith-based communities. (ANI)