Table 1. Sociodemographics and sex work characteristics of female sex workers in Lilongwe, Malawi, July-September 2014.
| Total Population (n = 200) | HIV seronegative (n = 62) | HIV seropositive (n = 138) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | |
| Age (years) | ||||||
| 18–24 | 101 | (51) | 44 | (71) | 57 | (41) |
| 25–29 | 54 | (27) | 10 | (16) | 44 | (32) |
| ≥30 | 45 | (22) | 8 | (13) | 37 | (27) |
| Nationality | ||||||
| Malawian | 195 | (98) | 62 | (100) | 133 | (96) |
| Other | 5 | (2) | 0 | (0) | 5 | (4) |
| Education | ||||||
| Never attended school | 15 | (7) | 5 | (8) | 10 | (7) |
| Some primary | 117 | (59) | 36 | (58) | 81 | (59) |
| Completed primary | 20 | (10) | 3 | (5) | 17 | (12) |
| Some secondary | 44 | (22) | 15 | (24) | 29 | (21) |
| Completed secondary | 4 | (2) | 3 | (5) | 1 | (1) |
| Marital status* | ||||||
| Never married | 28 | (14) | 13 | (21) | 15 | (11) |
| Married (legal or traditional) or co-habitating | 9 | (4) | 3 | (5) | 6 | (4) |
| Separated, divorced, or widowed | 162 | (81) | 45 | (73) | 117 | (85) |
| Housing | ||||||
| Private house | 27 | (13) | 10 | (16) | 17 | (12) |
| Bar or Bottle shop | 115 | (58) | 35 | (57) | 80 | (58) |
| Guesthouse or hotel | 58 | (29) | 17 | (27) | 41 | (30) |
| Number of pregnancies | ||||||
| 0 | 15 | (7) | 4 | (6) | 11 | (8) |
| 1 | 56 | (28) | 19 | (31) | 37 | (27) |
| ≥2 | 129 | (65) | 39 | (63) | 90 | (65) |
| Duration of sex work (years)* | ||||||
| <1.0 | 25 | (12) | 10 | (16) | 15 | (11) |
| 1.0–1.9 | 39 | (20) | 15 | (24) | 24 | (17) |
| 2.0–2.9 | 34 | (17) | 12 | (19) | 22 | (16) |
| ≥3.0 | 100 | (50) | 23 | (37) | 77 | (56) |
| Location for soliciting clients | ||||||
| Bar or bottle shop | 181 | (91) | 57 | (92) | 124 | (90) |
| Other | 19 | (9) | 5 | (8) | 14 | (10) |
| Number of clients per week* | ||||||
| <10 | 43 | (21) | 16 | (27) | 27 | (20) |
| 10–19 | 45 | (23) | 12 | (19) | 33 | (24) |
| 20–29 | 52 | (26) | 19 | (31) | 33 | (24) |
| ≥30 | 58 | (29) | 14 | (23) | 44 | (32) |
| Condom use with clients in past 7 days** | ||||||
| Inconsistent | 49 | (24) | 13 | (21) | 36 | (26) |
| Consistent | 151 | (76) | 49 | (79) | 102 | (74) |
*Missing data due to not knowing or refused to answer: marital status: n = 1; number of years exchanging sex for money: n = 2; number of clients in past 7 days: n = 2
**Inconsistent includes FSW who responded “never”, “rarely”, “sometimes”, or “most times”; Consistent includes FSW who responded “always”.