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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Lois A. Jackson, PhD, School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, 6230 South Street, Halifax, NS B3H 3J5, Canada, (902) 494-1341, lois.jackson@dal.ca, Carolyn Bennett, Stepping Stone Association, 2224 Maitland Street, Halifax, NS B3K 2Z9, Canada, Barbara Sowinski, Stepping Stone, Maitland Street, Halifax, NS B3H 3J5, Canada, and Devota Ryan, Social Work Dept., Region 7 Hospital Corporation, 500 Water Street, Miramichi, NB E1V 3G5, Canada.
Sex workers in Nova Scotia, Canada, talk about condom use at work and at home.
Objective: To examine the relationship between sex trade workers’ private and public lives in terms of sexual practices and in particular the use of condoms.
Methods. Sixty-nine female prostitutes working in and around Halifax were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The women were recruited through posters displayed in a community outreach center, advertisements in the local newspaper and word of mouth (snowball technique). All interviews were transcribed verbatim and placed in the nudist programme, which is a programme to analyze qualitative data. The transcribed interviews were coded for major themes. A focus group with female prostitutes was held to discuss the major themes. Following the focus group the themes were analyzed for sub-themes and a process of constant comparison was undertaken to explore similarities and differences between women working in different settings.
Results: The 69 women ranged in age from 19 to 48 years, and reported working in various venues including on the streets, in escort agencies, massage parlours, and out of their homes. Most women reported quite consistent condom use with clients but this was less the case with private intimate partners. An analysis of the transcripts revealed that trust is a key determinant of non-condom use in the private setting, and various strategies (e.g. HIV testing) are used to determine if one can trust one’s partner. The implications of ‘trust’ - as an aspect of private intimate relations for female prostitutes - will be discussed in terms of HIV prevention programmes.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Sex Workers, Sexual Risk Behavior
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.