Correlates of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and associated high-risk behaviors among male clients of female sex workers in Tijuana, Mexico

Abstract

This study is interesting because it pertains to the behaviour of adult men who have exchanged sex for money, as well as their drug use and prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STls) and HIV. Male clients are not as frequently studied compared with female sex workers. The significance of the study is three-fold. First, besides trading money for sex. some men (37%) were using habit-forming drugs, including injectable ones. This accordingly makes them feel 'on top of the world'. Secondly, condom use was not the norm in this study population as only half used condoms in the recent past. This can be said in part to be because of the influence of drugs. The study validates the fact that STls and HIV infections have been found to be high in women in particular in Africa compared with men due to biological. social/cultural and gender differences that favour men. Further research is proposed to assess how women in the sex trade (and others) can be empowered to negotiate safer sex practices and to establish the best approach to be able to communicate the connection between habit-forming drugs and STls and HIV infections. Those working with populations who exchange sex for money need to repackage their methods of communicating sexual health in order to increase safer sex practices to reduce HIV and STI transmission. For further reading, please see ref {1}, on which I appear as an author. References 1. Declining Sexually Transmitted Disease and HIV Prevalence Among Antenatal Clinic (ANC) Attenders in Nairobi, Kenya from 1992·2001. # Moses S, Ngugi EN, Costigan A, Kariuki C, Plummer FA Oral Abstract: The XIV International AIDS Conference 2002. Abstract no. WeOrC1272. Abstract (accessed 16 May 2012)