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Adolescent Sexual Risk-Taking in the Informal Settlements of Nairobi, Kenya: Understanding the Contributions of Religion

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Abstract

Young people in sub-Saharan Africa are at the centre of the global HIV epidemic as they account for a disproportionate share of new infections. Their vulnerability to HIV has been attributed to a myriad of factors, in particular, risky sexual behaviours. While economic factors are important, increasing attention has been devoted to religion on the discourse on sexual decision-making because religious values provide a perspective on life that often conflicts with risky sexual behaviours. Given the centrality of religion in the African social fabric, this study assesses the relationship between adolescent religiousness and involvement in risky sexual behaviours using data from the informal settlements of Nairobi. Guided by social control theory, the paper explores if and how religion and religiosity affect sexual risk-taking among adolescents.

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Notes

  1. Unfortunately, no information was solicited on the use of condoms in the most recent sexual encounter so we could not use that as an indication of risky behavior.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s standard research grant to Stephen. The study was initiated while Stephen was a sabbatical fellow at the APHRC, Nairobi. The Transitions-To-Adulthood study is part of a larger project on Urbanization, Poverty and Health Dynamics at APHRC funded by the Wellcome Trust. We are grateful to the colleagues at APHRC for their contributions and the adolescents in the study communities for participating in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Stephen Obeng Gyimah & Jones Adjei

  2. Initiative in Population Research, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Ivy Kodzi

  3. CEPS/INSTEAD, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

    Jacques Emina

  4. APHRC, Nairobi, Kenya

    Alex Ezeh

Authors
  1. Stephen Obeng Gyimah
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  2. Ivy Kodzi
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  3. Jacques Emina
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  4. Jones Adjei
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  5. Alex Ezeh
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Correspondence to Stephen Obeng Gyimah.

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Obeng Gyimah, S., Kodzi, I., Emina, J. et al. Adolescent Sexual Risk-Taking in the Informal Settlements of Nairobi, Kenya: Understanding the Contributions of Religion. J Relig Health 53, 13–26 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9580-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9580-2

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