SEX WORKERS

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
² San Francisco Department of Public Health, CA, USA
³ California Department of Health Services, Office of AIDS, CA, USA
⁴ County of San Mateo Department of Public Health, CA, USA
⁵ Contra Costa County Department of Public Health, CA, USA
⁶ ETR Associates, CA, USA
⁷ Alameda County Department of Public Health, CA, USA
⁸ San Joaquin County Public Health Services, CA, USA
⁹ Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Willi McFarland
MD, PhD, AIDS Office, San Francisco Department of Public Health, 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102-6033, USA; willi.mcfarland{at}sfdph.org

Objectives: We examined differences in demographic characteristics, HIV related risk behaviour, prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI), and HIV and other health concerns among women with and without a history of sex work.

Methods: A secondary analysis of a population based, cross sectional survey of young, low income women in northern California.

Results: Of the 2543 women interviewed, 8.9% reported a history of sex work. These women reported more lifetime male sexual partners, were more likely to use drugs before sex, and were more likely to have a history of having sex with partners at high risk for HIV (that is, men who have sex with men, inject drugs, or were known to be HIV positive). They were significantly more likely to have positive serology for syphilis, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), and hepatitis C regardless of their personal injecting drug use history; however, they were no more likely to have HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, hepatitis A or hepatitis B infection compared to women without a history of sex work. Women with a history of sex work were significantly more likely to have a history of sexual coercion and tobacco use.

Conclusions: These data measure the population prevalence of sex work among low income women and associated STI. Women with a history of sex work have health concerns beyond STI and HIV treatment and prevention.

Abbreviations: EIA, enzyme immunoassay; HSV-2, herpes simplex virus type 2; IDU, injecting drug use; IFA, immunofluorescent antibody; IQR, interquartile range; MH-ATP, microhaemagglutination assay for Treponema pallidum; MSM, men who has sex with men; RIBA, recombinant immunoblot assay; STI, sexually transmitted infections; YWS, Young Women’s Survey

Keywords: sex work; HIV; drug use; sexually transmitted infections; viral hepatitis

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