CROI 2015The nearly $1.3 billion the U.S. government has spent promoting abstinence and faithfulness in sub-Saharan Africa has gone to waste, aidsmap reports. Research into the effects of programs falling under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which began as a signature initiative of the George W. Bush administration in 2004, has found the programs have not had a significant impact on sexual behavior in 14 sub-Saharan nations. Findings from the research were presented at the 2015 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle.

Investigators analyzed data from 54 surveys covering 14 nations targeted by PEPFAR and eight non-PEPFAR-funded countries, also in sub-Saharan Africa. The surveys contained information on the behavior of 252,251 men and 591,714 women from 1998 to 2013.

The researchers found no significant relative change in the rates of abstinence or faithfulness between the PEPFAR and the non-PEPFAR-funded countries.

To read the aidsmap story, click here.

To read the abstract, click here.

To view a webcast of the conference presentation, click here.