Violent conflicts and risky sexual behavior in Uganda

Type Working Paper - MICROCON Research Working Paper 60
Title Violent conflicts and risky sexual behavior in Uganda
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2011
URL http://www.microconflict.eu/publications/RWP60_Nova_FINAL.pdf?
Abstract
This paper investigates the relationship between violent conflicts and risky sexual behavior in Uganda. We use geographical and temporal variation in conflict intensity and a difference-in-differences approach to evaluate how individual exposure to conflicts in the past 5 years influences the decision to engage in risky sex. We find that exposure to more conflicts leads to safer sex practice. We further investigate how the relationship between risky sexual behavior and violent conflict exposure varies depending on the malaria risk in the region where individuals live. We find a heterogeneous effect highlighting that behavioral response to an increase in conflict exposure varies by the burden of diseases an individual faces: additional conflict exposure leads to safer sex practice in places with high malaria-related mortality and to riskier sex practice in places with low malaria-related mortality.

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