Prevalence and correlates of cervical abnormalities among female sex workers in Tijuana, Mexico

In Tijuana, Mexico, sex work is regulated by the municipal health department and includes regular testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for registered female sex workers (FSWs). However, Papanicolaou (Pap) testing is missing from current sexual health assessments. We aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) What is the prevalence of cervical abnormalities among a sample of FSWs in Tijuana, Mexico? (2) What are the correlates of cervical abnormalities among a sample of FSWs in Tijuana, Mexico? From 2013 to 2014, a cohort of 300 FSWs in Tijuana, Mexico were recruited using modified time–location sampling. Participants were given Pap, HIV, and STI tests. The prevalence of an abnormal Pap was 11.7% (35/300). FSWs ever registered with municipal health services were less likely to have an abnormal Pap result (4.8% versus 14.4%, p = 0.03), were more likely to report a previous Pap test (88.1% versus 70.4%, p = .001), and were more likely to report a sexual health checkup in the last year (60.7% versus 37.0%, p < 0.001) than those who had never been registered. FSWs, including those who registered with the municipality, remain at risk for cervical abnormalities.

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HIV testing and its associated factors among street-based female sex workers in Iran: results of a national rapid assessment and response survey

Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy ◽

10.1186/s13011-021-00382-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sina Ahmadi ◽

Mehrdad Khezri ◽

Payam Roshanfekr ◽

Salah Eddin Karimi ◽

Meroe Vameghi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hiv Testing ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Rapid Assessment ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Multivariable Model ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Female Sex ◽

Self Testing

Abstract Background Female sex workers (FSWs) are at a disproportionate risk of sexually transmitted infections and they may face significant barriers to HIV testing. This study aimed to examine HIV testing prevalence and its associated factors among street-based FSWs in Iran. Method A total of 898 FSWs were recruited from 414 venues across 19 major cities in Iran between October 2016 and March 2017. Eligible FSWs were women aged 18 years of age who had at least one commercial sexual intercourse in the previous year. HIV testing was defined as having tested for HIV in the lifetime. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine the correlates of HIV testing. We report adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Result Overall, 57.8% (95%CI: 20.0, 88.0) of participants reported having tested for HIV, and HIV prevalence among FSWs who tested for HIV was 10.3% (95%CI: 7.5, 13.0). The multivariable model showed that unstable housing (aOR: 8.86, 95%CI: 2.68, 29.32) and drug use (aOR: 3.47, 95%CI: 1.33, 9.06) were associated with increased likelihood of HIV testing. However, FSWs with a higher level of income were less likely to be tested for HIV (aOR: 0.09, 95%CI: 0.02, 0.43). Conclusion Almost one in ten street-based FSWs had never tested for HIV. These findings suggest the need for evidence-based strategies such as outreach support and HIV self-testing to improve HIV testing in this marginalized population.

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Constituting the Unsafe: Nigerian Sex Workers' Notions of Unsafe Sexual Conduct

African Studies Review ◽

10.1353/arw.2008.0025 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 50 (3) ◽

pp. 29-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Chimaraoke O. Izugbara

Keyword(s):

Sexual Behavior ◽

Sexual Health ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Qualitative Inquiry ◽

Unprotected Sex ◽

Female Sex ◽

The Face ◽

Sexual Conduct

Abstract:This article reports findings of a qualitative inquiry on representations of unsafe sexual conduct among female sex workers in Aba, Nigeria. Participating sex workers viewed their work as a form of business, a survival imperative in the face of poverty, and they generally considered it both risky and disgraceful. However, they frequently framed unsafe sexual behavior in terms of poorly remunerated unprotected sex with clients. Sex workers in the study were not only generally willing to grant, but also confirmed regularly granting, unprotected sex to clients offering to pay a premium for it. Receiving “good money” for unprotected sex made higher degrees of risk acceptable to these women and was considered an effective way to avoid clients assumed to be carriers of infections. In their struggle for sexual health, sex workers in Nigeria are hindered by poverty, powerlessness, and marginality. Future programs must aim, inter alia, at supporting sex workers' willingness to insist on condoms no matter what clients offer them to do otherwise.

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Linked factors to access to sexual health checkups of female sex workers in the metropolitan region of Chile

International Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1007/s00038-018-1175-6 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 64 (3) ◽

pp. 355-363

Author(s):

Julieta Belmar Prieto ◽

Valeria Stuardo Ávila ◽

Cinta Folch ◽

Alexandra Montoliu ◽

Jordi Casabona

Keyword(s):

Sexual Health ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Metropolitan Region ◽

Female Sex

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Surveys of HIV-1, HTLV-I, and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Female Sex Workers in Taipei City, Taiwan, From 1993 to 1996

Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes & Human Retrovirology ◽

10.1097/00042560-199807010-00016 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 299-303 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Yi-Ming A. Chen ◽

Phillip S. Yu ◽

Chung-Chao Lin ◽

Ian Jen

Keyword(s):

Sexually Transmitted Diseases ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Female Sex ◽

Taipei City ◽

Hiv 1

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Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Female Sex Workers in Hong Kong: The Role of Migration Status

Journal of Travel Medicine ◽

10.1111/j.1708-8305.2010.00453.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

William C.W. Wong ◽

Yuet Lin Yim ◽

Henry Lynn

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Migration Status ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Female Sex

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Co-infection with genital gonorrhoea and genital chlamydia in female sex workers in Yunnan, China

International Journal of STD & AIDS ◽

10.1258/095646206776790088 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 329-332 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Xiang-Sheng Chen ◽

Yue-Ping Yin ◽

Guo-Jun Liang ◽

Xiang-Dong Gong ◽

Hua-Sheng Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sex Workers ◽

Female Sex Workers ◽

Vaginal Discharge ◽

Transmitted Disease ◽

Clinical Information ◽

Gonococcal Infection ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Female Sex ◽

Control Programmes

An observational study on prevalence of co-infection with gonorrhoea and chlamydia was conducted among female sex workers (FSWs) in Kunming, China. A total of 505 FSWs participated in the study. All eligible participants gave informed consent. Demographic, behavioural and clinical information of the participants was gathered by direct structured interviews. Tampon swabs were collected to test for Chlamydia trachomatis and Nesseria gonorrhoeae. One-hundred and twenty-four (24.6%) FSWs were co-infected with these two pathogens. Of the 191 FSWs with gonorrhea, 124 (64.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 57.9–71.3%) were co-infected with chlamydia which was significantly higher than the proportion (41.9%, 95% CI = 36.4–47.6%) co-infected with gonorrhoea among 296 FSWs with chlamydia ( P < 0.001). Only 47 of 191 (24.6%) FSWs with gonococcal infection and 28 of 124 (22.6%) with co-infection with gonorrhoea and chlamydia reported vaginal discharge. The results of the study justify the recommendation in the national sexually transmitted disease (STD) guidelines that patients infected with gonorrhoea also be treated routinely with an anti-chlamydial regimen. However, a periodic mass treatment may be considered in some circumstances in STD control programmes to rapidly reduce the infections in this population.

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