Table 1.
Characteristics of HIV-negative female sex workers in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
| Tijuana | Ciudad Juarez | Total | p-value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 145 | N = 150 | N = 295 | |||||
| n | % | n | % | n | % | ||
| Sociodemographics | |||||||
| Median age (years) | 38.0 | IQR = 31.0–48.0 | 37.0 | IQR = 29.0–44.0 | 38.0 | IQR = 30.0–46.0 | 0.17 |
| Born in same state as study site | 36 | 24.8 | 114 | 76.0 | 150 | 50.9 | < 0.0001 |
| Completed secondary school | 61 | 42.1 | 69 | 46.0 | 130 | 44.1 | 0.50 |
| Married/common-law relationship | 36 | 24.8 | 43 | 28.7 | 79 | 26.8 | 0.46 |
| Median number of children | 3.0 | IQR = 1.0–4.0 | 3.0 | IQR = 2.0–4.0 | 3.0 | IQR = 2.0–4.0 | 0.62 |
| Average monthly income ≥3500 pesos (~ 172 USD) | 62 | 42.8 | 144 | 96.0 | 206 | 69.8 | < 0.0001 |
| Non-commercial sexual partners | |||||||
| Spouse or steady partner | 53 | 36.6 | 41 | 27.3 | 94 | 31.9 | 0.09 |
| Median % of VS acts with condoms (past month) | 0.0 | IQR = 0.0–0.0 | 0.0 | IQR = 0.0–0.0 | 0.0 | IQR = 0.0–0.0 | 0.48 |
| Any casual partners (past month) | 63 | 43.5 | 27 | 18.0 | 90 | 30.5 | < 0.0001 |
| Median % of VS acts with condoms (past month) | 0.5 | IQR = 0.0–1.0 | 0 | IQR = 0.0–0.0 | 0.0 | IQR = 0.0–1.0 | 0.0001 |
| Any anonymous partners (past month) | 22 | 15.2 | 3 | 2.0 | 25 | 8.5 | < 0.0001 |
| Median % of VS acts with condoms (past month) | 0.5 | IQR = 0.0–1.0 | 0 | IQR = 0.0–0.0 | 0.5 | IQR = 0.0–1.0 | 0.07 |
| Sex work characteristics | |||||||
| Main sex work location | < 0.0001 | ||||||
| Bar or nightclub | 27 | 18.6 | 37 | 24.7 | 64 | 21.7 | |
| Street | 117 | 80.7 | 5 | 3.3 | 122 | 41.4 | |
| Hotel or motel | 1 | 0.7 | 103 | 68.7 | 104 | 35.3 | |
| Other | 0 | 0.0 | 5 | 3.3 | 5 | 1.7 | |
| Median difference in USD earned for condomless VS | 5.0 | IQR = 0.0–10.0 | 3.0 | IQR = 0.0–5.0 | 5.0 | IQR = 0.0–7.5 | 0.51 |
| Ever forced to have sex or physically abused by a client | 53 | 36.6 | 54 | 36.0 | 107 | 36.3 | 0.92 |
| Median # of clients (past month) | 40.0 | IQR = 19.0–70.0 | 46.5 | IQR = 28.0–76.0 | 44.0 | IQR = 23.0–74.0 | 0.07 |
| Median # regular clients | 7.0 | IQR = 4.0–15.0 | 4.0 | IQR = 2.0–7.0 | 5.0 | IQR = 3.0–10.0 | < 0.0001 |
| Median # non-regular clients | 24.0 | IQR = 9.0–56.0 | 40.0 | IQR = 21.0–70.0 | 32.0 | IQR = 12.0–63.0 | < 0.0001 |
| Median % of VS acts with clients with condoms (past month) | 0.7 | IQR = 0.5–0.9 | 0.5 | IQR = 0.2–0.8 | 0.6 | IQR = 0.3–0.9 | < 0.0001 |
| Median % of VS acts with regular clients with condoms | 0.6 | IQR = 0.3–0.9 | 0.0 | IQR = 0.0–0.6 | 0.4 | IQR = 0.0–0.8 | < 0.0001 |
| Median % of VS acts with non-regular clients with condoms | 0.9 | IQR = 0.5–1.0 | 0.6 | IQR = 0.3–0.9 | 0.8 | IQR = 0.4–1.0 | < 0.0001 |
| Any illicit drug use during sex with a client (past month) | 53 | 36.6 | 69 | 46.0 | 122 | 41.4 | 0.10 |
| Any alcohol use during sex with a client (past month) | 44 | 30.3 | 103 | 68.7 | 147 | 49.8 | < 0.0001 |
| Substance Use | |||||||
| Illicit drug use (past month) | 88 | 60.7 | 94 | 62.7 | 182 | 61.7 | 0.73 |
| Methamphetamine | 79 | 54.5 | 12 | 8.0 | 91 | 30.9 | < 0.0001 |
| Cocaine | 7 | 4.8 | 74 | 49.3 | 81 | 27.5 | < 0.0001 |
| Marijuana | 42 | 29.0 | 34 | 22.7 | 76 | 25.8 | 0.22 |
| Heroin | 37 | 25.5 | 27 | 18.0 | 64 | 21.7 | 0.12 |
| Tranquilizers | 19 | 13.1 | 29 | 19.3 | 48 | 16.3 | 0.15 |
| Mexican speedball (methamphetamine + heroin) | 20 | 13.8 | 0 | 0.0 | 20 | 6.8 | < 0.0001 |
| Speedball (cocaine + heroin) | 1 | 0.7 | 7 | 4.7 | 8 | 2.7 | 0.07 |
| Inhalants | 3 | 2.1 | 6 | 4.0 | 9 | 3.1 | 0.50 |
| Ecstasy | 3 | 2.1 | 2 | 1.3 | 5 | 1.7 | 0.68 |
| Barbiturates | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | – |
| Injection drug use (past month) | 39 | 26.9 | 31 | 20.7 | 70 | 23.7 | 0.21 |
| Hazardous alcohol consumption (past 12 months) | 57 | 39.3 | 79 | 52.7 | 136 | 46.1 | 0.02 |
| Reproductive/sexual health | |||||||
| Routine gynecological exam (past 6 months) | 16 | 11.0 | 20 | 13.3 | 36 | 12.2 | 0.55 |
| Contraceptive use other than condoms (past 6 months) | 25 | 17.2 | 121 | 80.7 | 146 | 49.5 | < 0.0001 |
| Tubal ligation | 3 | 12.0 | 78 | 64.5 | 81 | 55.5 | |
| Birth control pill | 8 | 32.0 | 16 | 13.2 | 24 | 16.4 | |
| Intrauterine device | 10 | 40.0 | 9 | 7.4 | 19 | 13.0 | |
| Hormone injection (i.e., Depo-Provera) | 2 | 8.0 | 10 | 8.3 | 12 | 8.2 | |
| Other | 2 | 8 | 9 | 7.4 | 11 | 7.5 | |
| HIV/STI testing (past 6 months) | 58 | 40.0 | 41 | 27.3 | 99 | 33.6 | 0.02 |
| Current vaginal symptoms | 60 | 41.4 | 36 | 24.0 | 96 | 32.5 | 0.001 |
| Current pain during VS | 28 | 19.3 | 6 | 4.0 | 34 | 11.5 | < 0.0001 |
| Tested positive for an STI at baseline | 41 | 28.3 | 15 | 10.0 | 56 | 19.0 | < 0.0001 |
| Gonorrhea | 19 | 13.1 | 2 | 1.3 | 21 | 7.1 | < 0.0001 |
| Chlamydia | 29 | 20.0 | 12 | 8.0 | 41 | 13.9 | 0.003 |
| Syphilis (titer ≥1:8) | 8 | 5.5 | 2 | 1.3 | 10 | 3.4 | 0.06 |
Numbers may not sum to column totals due to missing data; Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding or omission of one category for binary variables
Abbreviations: STI sexually transmitted infection, USD United States dollar, VS vaginal sex