Table 1. Baseline characteristics of sex workers, stratified by self-reported institutional-level barriers to health care at some point during the study period, Vancouver, Canada, 2010–2013.
| Characteristic | Total, n (%)† (N = 723) | Institutional barriers to health care*, n (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (n = 509) | No (n = 214) | ||
| Individual-level factors | |||
| Age <25 years old | 96 (13.3) | 63 (12.4) | 33 (15.4) |
| Indigenous ancestry | 259 (35.8) | 196 (38.5) | 63 (29.4) |
| Sexual/gender minority | 184 (25.5) | 146 (28.7) | 38 (17.8) |
| Immigrant to Canada | 198 (27.4) | 114 (22.4) | 84 (39.3) |
| HIV positive* | 81 (11.2) | 56 (11.0) | 25 (11.7) |
| HCV positive* | 302 (41.8) | 232 (45.6) | 70 (32.7) |
| Mental health illness* | 347 (48.0) | 282 (55.4) | 65 (30.4) |
| Non-injection drug use* | 496 (68.6) | 376 (73.9) | 120 (56.1) |
| Injection drug use* | 285 (39.4) | 227 (44.6) | 58 (27.1) |
| Interpersonal-level factors | |||
| Physical/sexual violence by partners* | 109 (15.1) | 89 (17.5) | 20 (9.4) |
| Physical/sexual violence by clients* | 168 (23.2) | 131 (25.7) | 37 (17.3) |
| Structural-level factors | |||
| Unstable housing* | 590 (81.6) | 420 (82.5) | 170 (79.4) |
| Supports others financially* | 209 (28.9) | 133 (26.1) | 76 (35.5) |
| No provincial health insurance card* | 12 (1.7) | 7 (1.4) | 5 (2.4) |
| Primary place of servicing clients* | |||
| Formal sex work/in-call establishment | 222 (30.7) | 127 (25.0) | 95 (44.4) |
| Informal indoor venue | 189 (26.1) | 141 (27.7) | 48 (22.4) |
| Outdoor/public space | 312 (43.2) | 241 (47.4) | 71 (33.2) |
| Threatened/ verbally assaulted by community residents or businesses* | 103 (14.3) | 90 (17.7) | 13 (6.1) |
| Police harassment without arrest* | 272 (37.6) | 204 (40.1) | 68 (31.8) |
| Police arrest* | 49 (6.8) | 40 (7.9) | 9 (4.2) |
| Incarceration* | 108 (14.9) | 82 (16.1) | 26 (12.2) |
* Time-updated variable using last 6 months as a reference point
† Percentages may not necessarily sum to 100% due to missing observations or rounding error.