Table 1.
Demographic and Behavioral Characteristics
| MSM in 5 non-sex worker (NSW) groups | MSM in 3 sex worker (SW) groups | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 22 | n = 16 | ||
|
| |||
| Age | Range 21 – 61, mean = 43 | Range 24 – 57, mean = 32.3 | |
|
| |||
| Ethnicity | 9% Hispanic or Latino | 13% Hispanic or Latino | |
|
| |||
| Race | 73% White | 75% White | |
| 27% Black | 19% Black | ||
| 6% other | |||
|
| |||
| Education | 5% did not finish high school | 38% did not finish high school | |
| 36% high school/GED | 38% high school/GED | ||
| 27% some college | 25% some college | ||
| 32% finished college | 0% finished college | ||
|
| |||
| Employment | 36% disabled | 13% disabled | |
| 32% unemployed | 63% unemployed | ||
| 5% temporary/seasonal work | 6% temporary/seasonal work | ||
| 5% part-time work | 6% part-time work | ||
| 23% full-time work | 13% full-time work | ||
|
| |||
| Annual income* | 14% less than $6,000 | 56% less than $6,000 | |
| 18% from $6,000 to $12,000 | 13% from $6,000 to $12,000 | ||
| 68% above $12,000 | 31% above $12,000 | ||
|
| |||
| Housing | 5% homeless | 19% homeless | |
| 5% staying with friends/family | 38% staying with friends/family | ||
| 91% rented or owned | 44% rented or owned | ||
|
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| Health Insurance | 23% no health insurance | 63% no health insurance | |
| 41% Medicare/Medicaid | 31% Medicare/Medicaid | ||
| 27% private insurance | 6% private insurance | ||
|
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| Sexual Orientation | 45% bisexual | 63% bisexual | |
| 55% gay | 13% gay | ||
| 0% straight | 13% straight | ||
| 0% preferred not to say | 13% preferred not to say | ||
|
| |||
| Number of sex partners (oral, anal, vaginal) in past 6 months | Range 2-60, mean = 13.9 | Range 2-150, mean = 27.5 | |
|
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| Gender of sex partners (oral, anal, vaginal) in past 6 months | 27% both men and women, 73% only men | 56% both men and women, 44% only men | |
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| Number of male anal sex partners (insertive and/or receptive) of unknown HIV status in past 6 months | Range 1-42, mean = 6.9 | Range 1-40, mean = 11.1 | |
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| Condom use with male anal sex partners (insertive and/or receptive) of unknown HIV status in past 6 months | 0% always | 0% always | |
| 27% most of the time | 13% most of the time | ||
| 9% about half the time | 13% about half the time | ||
| 36% sometimes, but very rarely | 31% sometimes, but very rarely | ||
| 27% never or almost never | 44% never or almost never | ||
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| Reported sex (oral, anal, vaginal) under the influence of alcohol / drugs during the past 6 months | 77% alcohol / 50% other drugs | 50% alcohol / 88% other drugs | |
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| Reported exchanging sex (oral, anal, vaginal) for money, drugs, or other goods within the past 6 months** | 23% yes | 69% yes | |
| 68% no | 25% no | ||
| 9% did not respond | 6% did not respond | ||
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| Reported being physically forced to have sex (oral, anal, vaginal) against his will within the past 6 months | 5% yes | 31% yes | |
| 86% no | 69% no | ||
| 9% did not respond | 0% did not respond | ||
Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percentage, so totals in some columns may not equal 1.
*
Participants who reported making less than $12,000 per year were considered to fall below the poverty threshold set by the US Census Bureau, which was $11,945 in the year 2012 for a single individual younger than 65.
**
All 16 of the men in the “sex worker” groups verbally disclosed recent experiences with sex work during the focus group. Some of the same men, however, may have been uncomfortable disclosing sex work in writing on our questionnaire. The questionnaire did not distinguish between purchasing sex and selling sex, but instead grouped both behaviors together as “exchanging sex.”