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DTSTART:20241103T020000
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DESCRIPTION:Program: HIV/AIDS Session: HIV Prevention and Care in Internat
 ional Settings - Poster Presentation Presenter: Yusuf Ransome Author: Jam
 es Frater See all authors and presenters → Abstract Introduction Religiou
 s institutions are significant social and cultural resources in many neig
 hborhoods throughout the United States. The density of religious institut
 ions has been linked to lower rates of poor health and mortality outcomes
  in the U. S. population. The distribution of religious institutions and 
 other aspects of the religious landscape\, such as the prevalence of chur
 ch members (i.e.\, adherents)\, may be associated with HIV incidence. Emp
 irical findings on this topic remain scant. Methods We used geospatial an
 d multivariate ecological analyses to test the associations between three
  religious environment variables and new HIV diagnoses in 2022 across N =
  2020 counties with available HIV data. The three variables were: (1) rat
 es of churches that closed in specific windows (e.g.\, between 2009 and 2
 014). A church is classified using Standard Industry Classification code 
 8661.07\; (2) change in the rates of adherents between 2010 and 2020\; an
 d (3) change in the rates of congregations in the U.S. between 2010 and 2
 020. We conducted zero-inflated binomial regression\, adjusting for the p
 ercentage of Black individuals\, the percentage of Hispanic individuals\,
  the GINI coefficient\, mobility\, percentage of overcrowding\, socioecon
 omic deprivation (including income\, education\, unemployment\, and pover
 ty)\, and whether the county was prioritized for the Ending the HIV Epide
 mic initiative. Results Church closings\, religious adherence\, and congr
 egation change were significantly clustered. Counties with the highest/5t
 h quintile of church closings (compared to the lowest) had lower rates of
  HIV (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR)= 0.26\, 95% CI = 0.18- 0.37\, p = 0.000.
  An increase in adherence rate was associated with 21% higher rates of ne
 w HIV diagnoses (IRR=1.21\, 95%CI=1.07-1.37\, p=0.002. The highest quarti
 le of increase in congregations (compared to no or low change) was also a
 ssociated with higher rates of new HIV diagnoses IRR=1.32\, 95%CI=1.03-1.
 76\, p=0.03). Conclusions Specific aspects of the religious environment s
 hape HIV differently\, possibly\, through multiple complex social mechani
 sms\, including stigma\, community norms\, and access to information. Int
 errogating this relationship is crucial for developing effective HIV prev
 ention strategies. Public health practitioners should reconsider assumpti
 ons about religious contexts when designing community-based approaches to
  HIV prevention and testing\, particularly in areas with strong religious
  participation.\n\nSpeaker:\nYusuf Ransome\n\nAdmission:\nRegistrationFee
 s: APHA Event Registration is Required\n\nDetails URL:\nhttps://medicine.
 yale.edu/event/fewer-churches-lower-hiv/\n
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251102T160000
DTSTAMP:20260514T231825Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251102T150000
GEO:38.903500;-77.022987
LOCATION:801 Allen Y Lew Pl NW\, Washington\, DC\, United States
SEQUENCE:0
STATUS:Confirmed
SUMMARY:2119.0 - Fewer Churches\, Lower HIV\; Increase in Congregants\, Hi
 gher HIV: Rethinking Religious Influences on Public Health
UID:4759f8b4-c4bb-4eb2-9204-4fc6f2f44433
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