Unprotected intercourse for extra money among commercial sex workers in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Full Abstract

This study assessed the extent and correlates of the practice of engaging in unprotected intercourse for extra money among commercial sex workers (CSWs) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire among a convenience sample of 136 CSWs. More than one-quarter of CSWs (26.5%) engaged in unprotected intercourse for extra money. These CSWs charged about 3.5 times more for unprotected intercourse than for protected intercourse. Multivariate logistic regression showed that CSWs who engaged in unprotected intercourse for extra money were significantly more likely to live or work in non-downtown (lower socioeconomic) areas of Kinshasa (odds ratio [OR] = 3.07), to have at least one child less than six years of age (OR = 2.95), and to know other CSWs who engaged in the same practice (OR = 9.38). We hypothesize that desperate socioeconomic conditions combined with peer/social norms drive the practice of engaging in unprotected intercourse for extra money. Additional circumstances under which Kinshasa CSWs engaged in unprotected intercourse included intercourse with clients who tore their condoms to increase sexual pleasure (58.8% of CSWs), episodes of condom failure (56.8% of CSWs), and unprotected intercourse with regular noncommercial partners (only 5.3% of CSWs with noncommercial partners always used condoms with these partners).

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Ntumbanzondo, M (M); Dubrow, R (R); Niccolai, L M (LM); Mwandagalirwa, K (K); Merson, M H (MH);

Affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine, CT 06520-8034, USA.

Grants: D43 TW05808 (Agency:FIC NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: AIDS care (AIDS Care), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Oct; vol 18 (issue 7) : pp 777-85

Dates: Created 2006/09/14; Completed 2007/02/08; Revised 2007/12/03;

PMID: 16971288, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Child
Condoms - economics; utilization
Cross-Sectional Studies
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Fees and Charges
Female

Female
HIV Infections - economics; psychology; transmission
Humans
Logistic Models
Prostitution - statistics & numerical data
Risk-Taking
Socioeconomic Factors
Unsafe Sex

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.