Sexual Behavior of Nairobi's Urban Poor

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is the first phase of a study of the HIV risk behaviors of urban Kenyan slum dwellers. Data collected in the Kenyan DHS surveys and the Nairobi Cross-sectional Slum Survey [NCSS] will be analyzed. The five aims of the study are to: 1. Validate DHS derived measures of slum residence by comparing findings with those of NCSS. If comparable, this will facilitate the use of other DHS data sets to study urban poverty issues. 2. Employ pooled DHS data to examine the generalizability of the hypothesis that slum residence is associated with risky behavior in African nations where 3 DHS surveys have been conducted in the past 10 years. 3. Use the NCSS to explore the HIV risk and preventive behaviors of slum residents. 4. Pay particular attention to the behaviors of both young and older adolescents and young adults in the NCSS. 5. Use a third, qualitative data set to further examine the correlates of the relationships among poverty, sexual behavior and other variables that may emerge from aims 1-3. The work will help clarify the kinds of considerations, economic and other, factoring into decision-making that influences the HIV risks of the urban poor.