Demographic characteristics and sexual behaviour of female sex workers recruited at the SIDA2 STI clinic in Cotonou, 1993, 1995–6, and 1998–9
| 1993 n=374 | 1995–6 n=350 | 1998–9 n=593 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source: Alary M et al, 2000. | |||
| FSW, female sex worker. | |||
| Median age (interquartile range) | 30 (26–35) | 28 (25–34) | 27 (23–33) |
| Age group (years): | |||
| <25 | 17% | 22% | 34% |
| 25–34 | 56% | 54% | 45% |
| >34 | 27% | 24% | 21% |
| At least one steady partner | 58.6% | 71.0% | 73.5% |
| Immigrants (born outside Benin) | 98% | 90% | 78% |
| Nationality: | |||
| Ghanaian | 66% | 39% | 22% |
| Nigerian | 11% | 37% | 38% |
| Togolese | 20% | 12% | 15% |
| Beninese | 2% | 10% | 22% |
| Other | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| Median years as FSW | – | 1.5 | 2 |
| Reporting sex work as sole income | 65% | 60% | – |
| Median (mean) No clients previous week | 17 (19.4) | 25 (25.6) | 7 (12.9) |
| Median (mean) No condoms with clients previous week | 10 (12.5) | 12 (14.9) | 5 (9.9) |
| Median (mean) No clients usually seen per week | 20 (23.7) | 28 (29.8) | 14 (18.2) |
| Median (mean) No clients seen last week by nationality of FSW | |||
| Nigeria | 22.5 (25.7) | 22 (23.1) | 10 (14.4) |
| Ghana | 16 (18.7) | 28 (28.4) | 16 (18.3) |
| Togo | 18 (18.8) | 26 (22.9) | 4 (11.4) |
| Benin | 10 (16.9) | 25 (26.7) | 4 (8.1) |
| Condom use with clients last week | |||
| Never | 12% | 6% | 12% |
| Sometimes (1–49%) | 19% | 31% | 20% |
| Quite often (50–74%) | 26% | 35% | 17% |
| Very often (75–99%) | 20% | 13% | 11% |
| Always | 23% | 15% | 40% |
| Median (mean) percentage condom use with clients last week | 66.7% (61.5%) | 58.3% (57.2%) | 75.0% (64.8%) |