Table 1.
Sociodemographic and occupational characteristics of sample by early initiation of sex work
| Characteristic | Total (n=816) Median (IQR) |
Began sex work <18 years (n=162) Median (IQR) |
Began sex work ≥18 years (n=654) Median (IQR) |
p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age when first engaged in sex work (years) | 20 (5) | 16 (2) | 21 (5) | <0.0001 |
| Current age (years) | 26 (7) | 24 (7) | 26 (9) | <0.0001 |
|
| ||||
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
|
| ||||
| Highest level of education | 0.003 | |||
| Primary school or less | 449 (55.0) | 106 (65.4) | 343 (52.5) | |
| Secondary school or more | 367 (45.0) | 56 (34.6) | 311 (47.6) | |
| Marital status* | 0.003 | |||
| Never married | 376 (46.6) | 94 (58.4) | 282 (43.7) | |
| Currently married | 28 (3.5) | 3 (1.9) | 25 (3.9) | |
| Divorced/separated/widowed | 403 (49.9) | 64 (39.8) | 339 (52.5) | |
| Currently has non-paying partner | 0.64 | |||
| Yes | 618 (75.7) | 125 (77.2) | 493 (75.4) | |
| No | 198 (24.3) | 37 (22.8) | 161 (24.6) | |
| Currently supporting others* | 0.02 | |||
| No | 85 (10.5) | 25 (15.4) | 60 (9.2) | |
| Yes | 728 (89.5) | 137 (84.6) | 591 (90.8) | |
| HIV status | 0.44 | |||
| Positive | 164 (20.1) | 29 (17.9) | 135 (20.6) | |
| Negative | 652 (79.9) | 133 (82.1) | 519 (79.4) | |
| Where usually meet paying clients* | 0.16 | |||
| Bar/nightclub | 656 (80.5) | 124 (76.5) | 532 (81.5) | |
| Street/home/hotel/beach | 159 (19.5) | 38 (23.5) | 121 (18.5) | |
| Drop-in centre | <0.0001 | |||
| Kisauni | 304 (37.3) | 41 (25.3) | 263 (40.2) | |
| Chaani | 285 (34.9) | 88 (54.3) | 197 (30.1) | |
| Likoni | 227 (27.8) | 33 (20.4) | 194 (29.7) | |
*
Missing data by variable: Marital status 9; Supporting others 3; Where meet clients 1.