Social Capital and HIV Risk Behavior: Female Sex Workers in Andhra Pradesh, India and Their Non-Client Partners

This analysis of existing survey data explored social capital, its community participation and `prosocial' dimensions and their association with HIV risk taking behavior in a sample of 850 female sex workers and their non-client partners living in Andhra Pradesh, India. Our study utilized both Putnam and Coleman's framework for social capital. The community participation dimension of social capital was associated with both condom use and increased risk behavior. However, the `prosocial' behavior or trust in people and institutions was not associated with either. These findings provide equivocal support for the influence of social capital on HIV risk taking behavior and suggest additional research is needed.