TY - JOUR
T1 - Patterns of Sex Work Client Solicitation Settings and Associations with HIV/STI Risk Among a Cohort of Female Sex Workers in Baltimore, Maryland
AU - Chien, Jessie
AU - Schneider, Kristin E.
AU - Tomko, Catherine
AU - Galai, Noya
AU - Lim, Sahnah
AU - Sherman, Susan G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2021/10/1
Y1 - 2021/10/1
N2 - Female sex workers’ (FSWs) risk for HIV/STIs is influenced by their work environments. While previous research has characterized vulnerability in a single workplace, many FSWs solicit clients from multiple settings. Using latent class analysis (LCA), we examined client solicitation patterns and associated HIV/STI-related behaviors (consistent condom use with clients, asking clients about HIV/STIs, and past 6-month HIV/STI testing) among 385 FSWs in Baltimore, Maryland. The LCA yielded a three-class solution: predominantly street (61.2%), mixed street/venue (23.7%), and multisource (street, venue, and online) (15.1%). Consistent condom use differed significantly (p < 0.01) by class, with the mixed street/venue having the lowest (40.6%) rate and the multisource having the highest (70.6%). Classes differed on HIV/STI testing (p < 0.01), with the predominantly street class having the lowest testing rate (56.2%) and multisource with the highest (85.7%). These findings underscore the importance of considering how solicitation patterns are linked to HIV/STI susceptibility of FSWs and adapting interventions accordingly.
AB - Female sex workers’ (FSWs) risk for HIV/STIs is influenced by their work environments. While previous research has characterized vulnerability in a single workplace, many FSWs solicit clients from multiple settings. Using latent class analysis (LCA), we examined client solicitation patterns and associated HIV/STI-related behaviors (consistent condom use with clients, asking clients about HIV/STIs, and past 6-month HIV/STI testing) among 385 FSWs in Baltimore, Maryland. The LCA yielded a three-class solution: predominantly street (61.2%), mixed street/venue (23.7%), and multisource (street, venue, and online) (15.1%). Consistent condom use differed significantly (p < 0.01) by class, with the mixed street/venue having the lowest (40.6%) rate and the multisource having the highest (70.6%). Classes differed on HIV/STI testing (p < 0.01), with the predominantly street class having the lowest testing rate (56.2%) and multisource with the highest (85.7%). These findings underscore the importance of considering how solicitation patterns are linked to HIV/STI susceptibility of FSWs and adapting interventions accordingly.
KW - HIV/STI
KW - Latent class analysis
KW - Sex work
KW - Sexual risk behavior
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105847875&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10461-021-03293-x
DO - 10.1007/s10461-021-03293-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 33974166
AN - SCOPUS:85105847875
SN - 1090-7165
VL - 25
SP - 3386
EP - 3397
JO - AIDS and Behavior
JF - AIDS and Behavior
IS - 10
ER -