Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of FSWs recruited in an E‐ART‐PrEP demonstration project in Cotonou, Benin (2014 to 2016)
| Characteristics | E‐ART N = 105 n (%) | PrEP N = 256 n (%) | Total N = 361 n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean agea (±SD) (years) | 35.5 ± 8.8 | 32.5 ± 9.2 | 33.4 ± 9.1 |
| Median age (IQR) (years) | 35.0 (28.0 to 42.0) | 31.0 (25.0 to 40.0) | 32.0 (26.0 to 40.0) |
| Age group (years) | |||
| <25 | 12 (11.4) | 56 (21.9) | 68 (18.8) |
| 25 to 34 | 35 (33.4) | 101 (39.4) | 136 (37.7) |
| 35 to 44 | 39 (37.1) | 63 (24.6) | 102 (28.3) |
| 45 to 54 | 18 (17.1) | 34 (13.3) | 52 (14.4) |
| ≥55 | 1 (1.0) | 2 (0.8) | 3 (0.8) |
| Country of origin | |||
| Benin | 54 (51.4) | 125 (48.8) | 179 (49.6) |
| Togo | 24 (22.9) | 68 (26.6) | 92 (25.5) |
| Nigeria | 16 (15.2) | 44 (17.2) | 60 (16.6) |
| Ghana | 10 (9.5) | 14 (5.5) | 24 (6.6) |
| Other | 1 (1.0) | 5 (1.9) | 6 (1.7) |
| Educationb | |||
| None | 43 (41.4) | 75 (29.3) | 118 (32.8) |
| Primary | 41 (39.4) | 93 (36.3) | 134 (37.2) |
| Secondary (level 1) | 13 (12.5) | 62 (24.2) | 75 (20.8) |
| Secondary (level 2) | 5 (4.8) | 19 (7.4) | 24 (6.7) |
| University | 2 (1.9) | 7 (2.7) | 9 (2.5) |
| Marital status | |||
| Single | 29 (27.6) | 92 (35.9) | 121 (33.5) |
| Divorced/Separated | 59 (56.2) | 114 (44.5) | 173 (47.9) |
| Widowed | 16 (15.2) | 44 (17.2) | 60 (16.6) |
| Married | 1 (1.0) | 6 (2.3) | 7 (1.9) |
| Gonorrheac | |||
| Positive | 6 (5.9) | 28 (11.2) | 34 (9.7) |
| Negative | 96 (94.1) | 222 (88.8) | 318 (90.3) |
| Chlamydiac | |||
| Positive | 3 (2.9) | 14 (5.6) | 17 (4.8) |
| Negative | 99 (97.1) | 236 (94.4) | 335 (95.2) |
| Active Syphilise | |||
| Negative | 105 (100.0) | 256 (100.0) | 361 (100.0) |
| Bacterial vaginosisd (Nugent score) | |||
| Normal flora (0 to 3) | 11 (10.8) | 25 (10.0) | 36 (10.2) |
| Intermediate flora (4 to 6) | 29 (28.4) | 77 (30.7) | 106 (30.0) |
| Vaginosis (7 to 10) | 62 (60.8) | 149 (59.4) | 211 (59.8) |
| Candidiasisd | |||
| Positive | 7 (6.9) | 10 (4.0) | 17 (4.8) |
| Negative | 95 (93.1) | 241 (96.0) | 336 (95.2) |
| Trichomonas vaginalis d | |||
| Positive | 1 (1.0) | 1 (0.4) | 2 (0.6) |
| Negative | 101 (99.0) | 250 (99.6) | 351 (99.4) |
| Hepatitis Bf , h | |||
| anti‐HBs positiveh | 55 (49.5) | 117 (37.6) | 172 (40.8) |
| anti‐HBc positive[Link] | 93 (83.8) | 202 (65.0) | 295 (69.9) |
| HBsAg positive | 5 (4.5) | 14 (4.5) | 19 (4.5) |
| CD4j | |||
| ˂500 cells/mm3 | 56 (53.3) | – | – |
| ≥500 cells/mm3 | 49 (46.7) | – | – |
| Viral loadj | |||
| Undetectable (<40 copies/mL) | 3 (2.9) | – | – |
| Suppressed (<1000 copies/mL) | 17 (16.2) | – | – |
aE‐ART participants were older than Pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) participants (p = 0.005. Student's t‐test); bone missing in the E‐ART arm (E‐ART participants were less educated than PrEP participants; p = 0.037. chi‐square test with 4 degrees of freedom); cthree missing in the E‐ART arm and six missing in the PrEP arm; dthree missing in the PrEP arm and five missing in the E‐ART arm; ea case of active syphilis was defined as testing positive for both the SD Bioline rapid test and the RPR test. None of the participants had active syphilis. 4 PrEP participants tested positive on SD Bioline rapid test but their RPR tests were negative. None of the E‐ART participants tested positive on SD Bioline rapid test.; fwomen positive to anti‐HBs were considered immune to hepatitis B. Women who were anti‐HBc positive and anti‐HBs negative were further tested with the Monolisa‐Biorad HBsAg to detect active hepatitis B infection.; gthe denominators used for the E‐ART group was the number of female sex workers (FSWs) with a positive HIV status at screening (N = 111) and for the PrEP group all HIV‐negative FSWs at screening (N = 311) in order to properly compare HIV‐positive and ‐negative since women with active hepatitis B were excluded from PrEP. h p = 0.028; i p = 0.0002; jCD4 count and viral load evaluated at baseline before initiation of treatment.