Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics
Umeå Economic Studies,
Umeå University, Department of Economics
No 804: Sexual Risk Taking among Young Adults in Cape Town - Effects of Expected Health and Income
Mintewab Bezabih (), Andréa Mannberg () and Martine Visser ()
Additional contact information
Mintewab Bezabih: University of Portsmouth
Andréa Mannberg: Department of Economics, Umeå University, Postal: S 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Martine Visser: University of Cape Town
Abstract: This paper empirically assesses links between expectations of future health and income on sexual risk taking on a sample of young adults in Cape Town, South Africa. An important contribution of the paper lies in combining a wide range of variables measuring risky sexual behavior such that the maximum information possible is extracted from, and adequate weights are attached to each measure, as opposed to previous studies that are based on individual measures or arbitrary aggregations. The findings indicate that expected income and health and future uncertainty are significant determinants of current patterns of sexual risk taking. From a policy perspective, the results suggest that reducing poverty and improving social insurance as well as reducing the taboo related to talking about HIV may constitute important issues to be addressed.
Keywords: HIV/AIDS; Health risk; Risk aversion
39 pages, April 30, 2010
Full text files
DownloadAsset.action...Id=3&assetKey=ues804
Questions (including download problems) about the papers in this series should be directed to David Skog ()
Report other problems with accessing this service to Sune Karlsson ().
This page generated on 2024-02-05 17:13:52.