Table 1. Characteristics of 345 included women practicing paid sex and living in Bangui.
| Category of female sex workers | P* | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional (n = 112) | Nonprofessional (n = 233) | ||||||
| Pupulenge (n = 48) | Kata (n = 64) | Seller (n = 72) | Student (n = 66) | Housewife (n = 54) | Civil servant (n = 41) | ||
| Age | |||||||
| Median (years) | 21 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 27 | 27 | |
| Range | [16–29] | [14–36] | [14–38] | [16–28] | [18–46] | [22–47] | – |
| Less than 18-year-old (%) | 21 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 2 | 0 | |
| Nationality | |||||||
| Central African Republic | 39 (81%) | 50 (78%) | 68 (94%) | 62 (94%) | 51 (94%) | 41 (100%) | |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 6 (13%) | 8 (13%) | 2 (3%) | 2 (3%) | 2 (4%) | 0 (0%) | NS |
| Other | 3 (6%) | 6 (9%) | 2 (3%) | 2 (3%) | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Education level | |||||||
| Illiterate | 0 (0%) | 37 (58%) | 32 (44%) | 0 (0%) | 6 (11%) | 0 (0%) | <0.05 |
| Secondary level | 39 (81%) | 23 (36%) | 31 (43%) | 30 (46%) | 27 (50%) | 1 (2%) | |
| Superior level | 9 (19%) | 4 (6%) | 9 (13%) | 36 (55%) | 21 (39%) | 40 (98%) | |
| Matrimonial status | |||||||
| Unmarried | 45 (94%) | 64 (100%) | 59 (82%) | 54 (82%) | 22 (41%) | 20 (49%) | <0.05 |
| Married | 03 (6%) | 0 (0%) | 13 (18%) | 12 (18%) | 32 (59%) | 21 (51%) | |
| Number of children | |||||||
| 0 | 22 (46%) | 44 (69%) | 15 (21%) | 42 (64%) | 4 (7%) | 4 (10%) | <0.05 |
| 1–2 | 26 (54%) | 20 (31%) | 52 (72%) | 24 (36%) | 35 (65%) | 33 (80%) | |
| More than 3 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 5 (7%) | 0 (0%) | 15 (28%) | 4 (10%) | |
| Knowledge on HIV/AIDS | |||||||
| Weak | 3 (6%) | 14(22%) | 45 (63%) | 1 (2%) | 9 (17%) | 2 (5%) | <0.05 |
| Middle | 8 (17%) | 21 (33%) | 18 (25%) | 5 (7%) | 9 (17%) | 3 (7%) | |
| Satisfactory | 37 (77%) | 29 (45%) | 9 (12%) | 60 (91%) | 36 (66%) | 36 (88%) | |
| Self-assessment of HIV risk | |||||||
| Yes | 40 (83%) | 24 (37%) | 12 (17%) | 35 (53%) | 30 (56%) | 13 (32%) | <0.05 |
| No | 8 (17%) | 40 (63%) | 60 (83%) | 31 (47%) | 24 (44%) | 28 (68%) | |
| Knowledge on HIV serostatus | |||||||
| Yes | 36 (75%) | 13 (20%) | 20 (28%) | 44 (67%) | 24 (44%) | 25 (61%) | <0.05 |
| No | 12 (25%) | 51 (80%) | 52 (72%) | 22 (33%) | 30 (56%) | 16 (39%) | |
| Past history of STI | |||||||
| Yes | 9 (18%) | 24 (38%) | 31 (43%) | 10 (15%) | 15 (28%) | 6 (15%) | <0.05 |
| No | 39 (81%) | 40 (62%) | 41 (57%) | 56 (85%) | 39 (72%) | 35 (85%) | |
| Age of first sexual intercourse | |||||||
| 10–15 years | 27 (56%) | 43 (67%) | 39 (54%) | 26 (39%) | 27 (50%) | 13 (32%) | <0.05 |
| 16–20 years | 21 (44%) | 21 (33%) | 33 (46%) | 40 (61%) | 27 (50%) | 28 (68 %) | |
| Duration of prostitution | |||||||
| <1 year | 8 (17%) | 13 (20%) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| 2–5 years | 23(48%) | 43 (67%) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| >5 years | 17(35%) | 8 (12%) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| Condom use in last 3 months | |||||||
| No or rarely | 12 (25%) | 60 (94%) | 61 (85%) | 30 (45%) | 40 (74%) | 18 (44%) | <0.05 |
| Always | 36 (75%) | 4 (6%) | 11 (15%) | 36 (56%) | 14 (26%) | 23 (56%) | |
| Condom use in last week | |||||||
| No or rarely | 0 (0%) | 40 (62%) | 48 (67%) | 12 (18%) | 29 (54%) | 11 (27%) | <0.05 |
| Always | 48 (100%) | 24 (38%) | 24 (33%) | 54 (82%) | 25 (46%) | 30 (73%) | |
| Alcohol consumption | |||||||
| No or 1 fold per week | 43 (90%) | 8 (13%) | 37 (51%) | 50 (76%) | 27 (50%) | 33 (80%) | <0.05 |
| Every day | 5 (10%) | 56 (87%) | 35 (49%) | 16 (24%) | 27 (50%) | 8 (20%) | |
| Cannabis consumption | |||||||
| No or 1 fold per week | 47 (98%) | 55 (86%) | 71 (99%) | 66 (100%) | 54 (100%) | 41 (100%) | <0.05 |
| Every day | 1 (2%) | 9 (14%) | 1 (1%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Glue inhalation | |||||||
| No or 1 per week | 48 (100%) | 53 (83%) | 72 (100%) | 65 (98%) | 54 (100%) | 41 (100%) | <0.05 |
| Every day | 0 (0%) | 11 (17%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
Notes: STI: Sexually transmitted infection; NA: Not attributable; NS: Not significant.
*χ 2 test; P < .05 is considered as significant.