HIV/AIDS has devastated many different populations. Efforts to reduce the spread of the disease have often focused on sexual behavior. Many studies in Africa have presumed that awareness of high HIV rates would lead to a change in sexual behavior: the higher the prevalence of HIV, the fewer risky sexual behaviors would be observed (dependent variable). Following widespread educational efforts (independent variable), the actual change in HIV rate showed little to no change. This failure to affect the HIV rate was due to.