rss
Sex Transm Infect 2006;82:364-367 doi:10.1136/sti.2006.020537
  • Sex work

Characteristics of men who pay for sex: a UK sexual health clinic survey

  1. T M Groom1,
  2. R Nandwani2
  1. 1The Sandyford Initiative, Glasgow G3 7NB, UK
  2. 2The Sandyford Initiative and Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow, UK
  1. Correspondence to:
 T M Groom
 The Sandyford Initiative, Glasgow G3 7NB, UK; tmgroom{at}doctors.org.uk
  • Accepted 9 August 2006

Abstract

Background: Populations surveys in the United Kingdom have documented a doubling in the number of men paying for sex over the decade 1990 to 2000. We report the prevalence of this behaviour in men attending a sexual health clinic, and describe their characteristics.

Methods: Retrospective case note review.

Results: Of 2665 men completing a standard health screening questionnaire, 10% (267) reported paid sex. We reviewed case notes of 258 men. The mean age was 34.7 years. The majority reported paying women, with 4.3% paying men for sex. Men reported paying for sex abroad (51%), locally (40%), or elsewhere in the United Kingdom (11%), with only 1.7% paying for sex both in the United Kingdom and abroad. The majority (66%) had paid for sex in the previous 12 months, and 27% were repeated users of prostitutes. Almost half the men (43%) paid for sex while in another relationship. Unprotected vaginal sex was more common in men who had paid for sex abroad. None of the men had HIV infection, but 20% had a sexually transmitted infection (8% chlamydia, 1.3% gonorrhoea, 7% non-gonococcal urethritis, and 1.1% syphilis)

Conclusion: Routine questions about commercial sexual contacts could allow targeted health promotion and harm minimisation for this group of men, protecting their partners—both unsuspecting and commercial.

Footnotes

  • Conflicts of interest: none.

This Article

  1. Abstract
  2. Full text
  3. PDF

Responses

  1. Submit a response
  2. No responses published

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.