Characteristics of a population of sex workers and their association with the presence of sexually transmitted diseases

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to describe a population of sex workers considering their sociodemographic characteristics, gyneco-obstetric history and behavioral factors, and to verify the association of these characteristics with the presence of sexually transmitted diseases. This epidemiological cross-sectional study was performed with 102 female sex workers. Data were collected using structured interviews and gold-standard exams for diagnosis of the diseases of interest. The women's mean age was 26.1 years. Most of them had attended school for nine years or more, were single and reported becoming sexually active before 15 years of age. Performing oral sex on partners was cited by 90.2% of women, and 99% reported the use of condoms at work; only 26.3% used condoms with permanent partners, and 42.2% used illicit drugs. No association was observed between sociodemographic factors, gyneco-obstetric history or behavioral factors and sexually transmitted diseases, which may have been due to their educational status and the fact that the population had very similar characteristics, thus making it difficult to determine such associations.