In what ways do religious congregations address HIV? examining predictors of different types of congregational HIV activities

Abstract

Religious congregations play an important role in HIV prevention and care. However, most research on congregation-based HIV activities has focused on prevention. Using data from a nationally representative survey of U.S. congregations, this study found that 18.6% of congregations were engaged in some type of HIV activity; 8.7% engaged in prevention; 7.6% offered support to people with HIV; 7.4% raised awareness; and 7.6% provided donations for other organizations’ HIV activities. Among congregations that participate in some type of HIV activities, having more educated clergy is associated with higher odds of engaging in support, raising awareness, and giving donations relative to prevention activities. Being a predominantly African-American congregation is associated with lower odds of these other three types of HIV activities compared to prevention activities. Understanding the factors associated with specific types of HIV activities helps inform policy and practice related to congregation-based HIV programming.