Abstract
Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit female sex workers (FSWs) for a community survey conducted in southern India.
After survey completion, participants were given a brochure describing a clinical trial that entailed daily use of a placebo
vaginal gel for four months. This study assessed predictors of screening among survey respondents, predictors of enrollment
among those eligible for the trial, and predictors of visit attendance and retention among those enrolled. FSWs who reported
having symptoms of sexually transmitted infections (STI), engaging in sex work in the past month, and living in a subdistrict
easily accessible by public transportation with a high concentration of FSWs, were more likely to screen. FSWs who had never
been tested for HIV were more likely to enroll. This analysis suggests that the primary reason FSWs participated in the trial
was a desire for health careānot other factors hypothesized to be important, e.g., HIV risk perception and poverty status.
After survey completion, participants were given a brochure describing a clinical trial that entailed daily use of a placebo
vaginal gel for four months. This study assessed predictors of screening among survey respondents, predictors of enrollment
among those eligible for the trial, and predictors of visit attendance and retention among those enrolled. FSWs who reported
having symptoms of sexually transmitted infections (STI), engaging in sex work in the past month, and living in a subdistrict
easily accessible by public transportation with a high concentration of FSWs, were more likely to screen. FSWs who had never
been tested for HIV were more likely to enroll. This analysis suggests that the primary reason FSWs participated in the trial
was a desire for health careānot other factors hypothesized to be important, e.g., HIV risk perception and poverty status.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-13
- DOI 10.1007/s10461-012-0259-1
- Authors
- Barbara S. Mensch, Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Barbara A. Friedland, Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Sharon A. Abbott, Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Lauren L. Katzen, Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Waimar Tun, Population Council, Washington, DC, USA
- Christine A. Kelly, Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Avina Sarna, Population Council, New Delhi, India
- Aylur K. Srikrishnan, Y.R. Gaitonde Center for AIDS Research and Care (YRG CARE), Chennai, India
- Suniti Solomon, Y.R. Gaitonde Center for AIDS Research and Care (YRG CARE), Chennai, India
- Journal AIDS and Behavior
- Online ISSN 1573-3254
- Print ISSN 1090-7165