Characteristics of 966 sex workers at study baseline, cohort of sex workers, Guangzhou, China, March 1998–October 1999
| All women (n=966) | Women with <3 follow up visits (n=454) | Women with 3 follow up visits (n=512) | p Value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Indicating the difference between women with less than three follow up visits and women who completed three follow up visits. | ||||
| Mean age (SD) | 25.0 (5.3) | 25.6 (5.3) | 24.4 (5.3) | <0.001 |
| Mean age at commencement of being paid for sex (SD) | 22.9 (5.0) | 23.8 (5.1) | 22.2 (4.8) | <0.001 |
| Mean age leaving education (SD) | 15.1 (2.9) | 14.9 (2.9) | 15.3 (2.9) | 0.016 |
| Median years of sex work (IQR) | 1 (0.5–2) | 1 (0.5–2) | 1 (1–2) | 0.001 |
| Median workdays per week (IQR) | 5 (4–5) | 5 (4–5) | 4 (4–5) | 0.234 |
| Median number of clients per week (IQR) | 7 (5–8) | 7 (5–8) | 7 (5–8) | 0.682 |
| Having regular income | 524 (54.2) | 254 (55.9) | 270 (52.7) | 0.317 |
| Having steady partners past 12 months | 399 (41.3) | 207 (45.6) | 192 (37.5) | 0.011 |
| Drug injection since 1990 | 66 (6.9) | 37 (8.2) | 29 (5.7) | 0.132 |
| STD check up past 12 months | 335 (34.7) | 174 (38.3) | 161 (31.4) | 0.025 |
| History of STD infection | 82 (8.5) | 55 (12.1) | 27 (5.3) | <0.001 |
| Good knowledge on AIDS transmission | 42 (4.3) | 19 (4.2) | 23 (4.5) | 0.815 |
| Good knowledge on condom use | 228 (23.6) | 96 (21.1) | 132 (25.8) | 0.090 |
| Good self efficacy to use condoms | 313 (32.4) | 172 (37.9) | 141 (27.5) | 0.001 |
| Consistent condom use past 2 months | 291 (30.1) | 149 (32.8) | 142 (27.7) | 0.086 |