Table 1

 Comparison of characteristics of clients attending a non-public clinic compared with a public clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, September 2002 through August 2003

CharacteristicNon-public clinicPublic clinicχ2 p value
No (%)No (%)
*Risk factors were self reported.
†Marijuana, alcohol, sniffed or snorted cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, and other street and club drugs.
‡Primary and secondary.
Number171202
Ethnicity
    White122 (71.3)5 (2.5)<0.001
    Black42 (24.6)194 (96.0)
    Other7 (4.1)3 (1.5)
Age
    <30 years7495
    ⩾30 years971070.468
Sexual preference
    Opposite sex58 (34.9)185 (97.9)<0.001
    Same sex87 (52.4)1 (0.5)
    Both sexes21 (12.7)3 (1.6)
Reason for clinic visit
    Symptoms74 (45.4)110 (57.0)0.029
    General screening82 (52.3)29 (15.0)<0.001
    HIV testing2 (1.2)18 (9.3)0.001
    Contact STD41 (24.4)36 (17.9)0.126
Time from last sexual encounter to clinic visit
    <7 days52 (30.4)108 (53.5)<0.001
    ⩾7 days119 (69.6)94 (46.5)
Risk factors*
    ⩾3 partners in past month37 (21.6)22 (10.9)0.005
    Injection drug use5 (3.0)15 (7.5)0.058
    Sex for money/drugs3 (1.8)4 (2.0)0.89
    Shares needles2 (1.2)5 (2.5)0.363
    Non-injection drug use†66 (39.3)148 (74.0)<0.001
    Partner is IDU10 (6.0)12 (6.0)0.99
    Partner is HIV+17 (10.1)6 (3.0)0.005
    Partner has exchanged sex
    for money or drugs18 (10.7)28 (13.9)0.352
Condom use
    Never36 (22.2)66 (41.3)<0.001
    Sometimes116 (71.6)73 (45.6)
    Always10 (6.2)21 (13.1)
STD testing
    Tested for syphilis147 (86)190 (95.0)0.005
    Tested for gonorrhoea155 (90.6)179 (89.1)0.614
STD prevalences
    Gonorrhoea3 (2.0)24 (13.5)0.001
    P and S syphilis‡5 (3.5)3 (1.5)0.074