Sexual Health Knowledge and Health Practices of Female Sex Workers in Liuzhou, China, Differ by Size of Venue

Citation

Zhang, Youchun; Brown, Jane D.; Muessig, Kathryn E.; Feng, Xianxiang; & He, Wenzhen (2014). Sexual Health Knowledge and Health Practices of Female Sex Workers in Liuzhou, China, Differ by Size of Venue. AIDS and Behavior, 18(Suppl. 2), S162-170. PMCID: PMC3883793

Abstract

We conducted qualitative interviews with 48 female sex workers (FSW) recruited from entertainment venues in Liuzhou, China. Analyses found that HIV knowledge and sexual health seeking strategies differed by size of venue: (1) Women in smaller venues said they douched before/after sex and used condoms with all but their regular partners and clients. Most found the brochures distributed by Chinese CDC workers “irrelevant” or “boring” and relied on friends for health advice. (2) FSW in middle and large venues were less concerned about prevention, claiming their clients were “healthy.” They relied more on the Internet for health information and were less concerned about the cost of seeing a doctor. (3) Pregnancies and abortions were frequent, especially among the younger women in large venues. This research documents the need to develop tailored HIV-related messages and prevention strategies with the help of FSW to address differences among FSW working in venues of different sizes.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0474-4

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2014

Journal Title

AIDS and Behavior

Series Title

AIDS Behav. 2014 Feb;18 Suppl 2:S171.

Author(s)

Zhang, Youchun
Brown, Jane D.
Muessig, Kathryn E.
Feng, Xianxiang
He, Wenzhen

PMCID

PMC3883793