Table 1.
Enrollment characteristics of 357 HIV-positive women who reported current or past engagement in transactional sex.
| Characteristic | Median (IQR) or n(%) |
|---|---|
| Age | 39 (33,44) |
| Highest education level ≥ 8 years Workplace |
144 (40.3) |
| Bar/restaurant | 210 (58.8) |
| Nightclub | 83 (23.3) |
| Home/other | 64 (17.9) |
| Early sexual debut (age 15 or younger) | 101 (28.9) |
| Years since first sex work (n = 355) | |
| Less than 5 | 72 (20.2) |
| 5–9 | 110 (30.8) |
| 10 or more | 173 (48.5) |
| Ever married | 276 (77.3) |
| Had only a casual partner in the past 3 months |
27 (7.6) |
| Has an index partner | 286 (80.1) |
| Index partner in the past 3 months | 160 (44.9) |
| Index partner in the past 3 months, no casual partner |
99 (27.7) |
| Has both an index and casual partner in the past 3 months |
132 (37.0) |
|
Reproductive health characteristics |
|
| Number of previous pregnancies (n = 356) |
3 (2,4) |
| Pregnant by urine hCG test (n = 356) | 3 (0.8) |
| Fertility desire (n = 355) | 87 (24.3) |
| Post-partum (n=350) | 6 (1.7) |
| Post-menopausal (n=354)a | 57 (16.0) |
| Contraceptive use category (n = 355) | |
| None or condoms only | 249 (69.8) |
| DMPA or OCP (short/medium acting hormonal methods) |
72 (20.2) |
| IUD, TL, Norplant, hysterectomy (long acting methods) |
34 (9.5) |
|
Partner attitude about pregnancy (n=286)b |
|
| Excited | 165 (58.3) |
| Neutral | 71 (24.9) |
| Upset | 47 (16.8) |
| Depressive symptoms by PHQ-9 | |
| Minimal (0–4) | 268 (75.1) |
| Mild (5–9) | 66 (18.5) |
| Mod/severe (10 or higher) | 23 (6.4) |
| Alcohol use problems by AUDIT | |
| Non drinkers | 183 (51.0) |
| Minimal (1–6) | 103 (28.9) |
| Moderate (7–15) | 57 (15.9) |
| Severe (16 or higher) | 14 (3.9) |
| Disclosed HIV status to anyone in the Past (n=356) |
228 (68.9) |
|
History of violence and controlling behaviours |
|
| History of sexual abuse since age 15 (n=355)c |
36 (10.1) |
| Any sexual abuse in the past 12 months (n=352)c |
18 (5.1) |
| History of physical abuse since age 15c | 73 (20.5) |
| Any physical abuse in the past 12 months (n = 355)c |
23 (6.5) |
| Ever had controlling behaviours by the index partner |
167 (46.8) |
| HIV-related clinical variables | |
| CD4 lymphocyte count ≤ 350 cells/ µl (n = 355) |
93 (26.1) |
| On ART by self-report (n = 356)d | 228 (64.0) |
| Any GC, CT, or TV by APTIMA (n=348) |
38 (10.9) |
ART: anti-retroviral therapy; AUDIT: alcohol use disorders identification test; CT: Chlamydia tracomatis; DMPA: depot medroxyprogesterone acetate; GC: Neisseria gonorrhoeae; IPV: intimate partner violence; hCG: human chorionic gonadotropin; OCP: oral contraceptive pills; PHQ-9: Patient health questionnaire 9; TV: Trichomonas vaginalis.
Post-menopausal status based on clinical algorithm was defined as >40 years old, reported ≥ 12 months of amenorrhea from the time of their last menstrual period, and not taking unopposed progesterone contraception such as depot medroxyprogesterone acetate or progesterone only oral contraceptive pills.
Among women who had an index partner.
Refers to anyone besides the index partner, former boyfriend, or former husband.
Of 228 women who reported taking ART at enrollment, 116 (50.9%) were receiving this medication at our clinic and 107 (46.9%) reported getting ART at another clinic (five missing responses).