 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Donald Morisky, ScD and Alfonso Ang, PhD. Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, 650 Charles E. Young Drive South, CHS 26-070, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, 310-825-8508, dmorisky@ucla.edu
The purpose of this research is to investigate possible psychosocial and environmental/behavioral determinants of STI/HIV infection among female bar workers in the Philippines. The Philippine government requires all Female Bar Workers (FBW) to be registered and undergo weekly or bi-monthly STD examination at the local Social Hygiene Clinic. Data were collected among 1400 FBW addressing both psychosocial (such as attitudes towards condom use, level of social influence from manager, clinic staff, beliefs in the seriousness of HIV, and behavioral determinants of HIV/AIDS, including the number of different sexual partners, injection drug use, and safe sexual practices (condom use). A four-year longitudinal design in geographically dispersed sites was used in this research. Results indicated that the type of establishment in which a sex worker is employed play a significant role in sexual risk taking behavior as well as the cognitive and social structural determinants of behavior. The rate of IDU among FBWs in the Philippines is less than 1 percent. Policy implications: The ability to diagnose and treat STDs at an early stage has a tremendous effect on the spread and distribution of infections. Getting an early handle on new infections also provides opportunities for educational counseling and treatment.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Policy/Policy Development, Behavioral Research
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.