Table 1.
Socio-demographic and Sex Work-related Characteristics of MSW Participants
| Cercado (downtown) N=23 | Non-Cercado (surrounding urban) N=17 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, median (IQR) | 24 (20-26) | 22 (21-25) | ||
| n/N | % | n/N | % | |
| High school graduate | 14/23 | 61% | 12/16 | 75% |
| Sexual identity | ||||
| Heterosexual | 6/23 | 26% | 4/17 | 23% |
| Homosexual | 4/23 | 17% | 1/17 | 6% |
| Bisexual | 13/23 | 57% | 12/17 | 71% |
| Socioeconomic level of household1 | ||||
| Homeless or no assets | 7/23 | 30% | 1/16 | 6% |
| Low-income | 10/23 | 44% | 7/16 | 44% |
| Middle- or high-income | 6/23 | 26% | 8/16 | 50% |
| Primary sex work location | ||||
| Public park or plaza | 18/23 | 78% | 4/17 | 23.5% |
| Nightclubs or bars | 4/17 | 23.5% | ||
| Saunas | 1/23 | 4% | 1/17 | 6% |
| Pornographic video houses | 2/23 | 9% | 0/17 | 0% |
| Internet | 2/23 | 9% | 8/17 | 47% |
| Age at entry into sex work, median (IQR) | 19 (17-23) | 18 (17-21) | ||
| Years in sex work, median (IQR) | 4 (2-6) | 3 (1-7) | ||
1
For the household socio-economic level, we used an assets-based index where basic services were worth 1 point, items that facilitate daily activities were worth 2 points, and luxury items were worth 3 points. Low-income individuals scored 0-5 points, middle-income individuals scored 6-10 points, and high-income individuals scored 11-17 points.