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How Beliefs About HIV Status affect Risky Behaviors: Evidence From Malawi, Second Version

Author

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  • Aureo de Paula

    (Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania)

  • Gil Shapira

    (Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania)

  • Petra E. Todd

    (Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract

This paper examines how beliefs about own HIV status affect sexual behavior. Risky behavior is measured as the propensity to engage in extramarital affairs or not use condoms. The empirical analysis is based on 2004 and 2006 data from the Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project. Controlling for endogeneity between beliefs and risk-taking, we find that downward revisions in the belief of being HIV positive lead to a lower propensity to engage in extramarital affairs but have no effect on condom use. We show that the estimates provide a lower bound when there is measurement error in reported extra-marital affairs.

Suggested Citation

  • Aureo de Paula & Gil Shapira & Petra E. Todd, 2008. "How Beliefs About HIV Status affect Risky Behaviors: Evidence From Malawi, Second Version," PIER Working Paper Archive 08-041, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, revised 02 Dec 2008.
    • Handle: RePEc:pen:papers:08-041
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    Cited by:

    1. Adeline Delavande, 2012. "HIV/AIDS-related Expectations and Risky Sexual Behavior in Malawi," 2012 Meeting Papers 90, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    2. Delavande, Adeline & Giné, Xavier & McKenzie, David, 2011. "Measuring subjective expectations in developing countries: A critical review and new evidence," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 151-163, March.
    3. Baird, Sarah & Gong, Erick & McIntosh, Craig & Özler, Berk, 2014. "The heterogeneous effects of HIV testing," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 98-112.
    4. Bennett, Daniel & Chiang, Chun-Fang & Malani, Anup, 2015. "Learning during a crisis: The SARS epidemic in Taiwan," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 1-18.
    5. Ruben Castro & Jere Behrman & Hans-Peter Kohler, 2015. "Perception of HIV risk and the quantity and quality of children: the case of rural Malawi," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 28(1), pages 113-132, January.
    6. Ernesto Reuben & Matthew Wiswall & Basit Zafar, 2017. "Preferences and Biases in Educational Choices and Labour Market Expectations: Shrinking the Black Box of Gender," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 127(604), pages 2153-2186, September.
    7. Thornton, Rebecca L., 2012. "HIV testing, subjective beliefs and economic behavior," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 300-313.
    8. Adeline Delavande & Hans-Peter Kohler, 2012. "The Impact of HIV Testing on Subjective Expectations and Risky Behavior in Malawi," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(3), pages 1011-1036, August.
    9. Joachim Winter & Amelie Wuppermann, 2014. "Do They Know What Is At Risk? Health Risk Perception Among The Obese," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(5), pages 564-585, May.
    10. Olivier STERCK, 2011. "Why only one individual tests for HIV/AIDS among Sub-Saharan African Couples?," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2011024, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Beliefs; AIDS; Malawi;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior

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