High-Risk Behavior of HIV/AIDS among Females Sex Workers in Bangladesh: Survey in Rajshahi City

摘要

References(16) Female sex workers (FSWs) and their clients are one of the major sources of spread of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh. The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of unprotected sex among FSWs in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh. A total of 200 FSWs were randomly selected for the survey from February to September 2012. The age range of FSWs was 16–41 years (average age, 24.52 ± 6.26 years), and the majority of these women (84.4%) were married. More than 88% of FSWs reported practicing unprotected sex because of clients' insistence. Further analysis showed a significantly higher rate of protected sex among unmarried FSWs (P 0.01). Approximately 32% of FSWs did not undergo voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for HIV, and this factor was significantly associated with the education level (P 0.01), age (P 0.01), and economic status (P 0.05). Furthermore, 89.5% respondents did not ask their new clients about VCT/HIV status, and this factor was associated with the resident area (P 0.05), age (P 0.05), and economic status (P 0.01) of FSWs. Authorities in this country should focus their HIV/AIDS prevention efforts on illiterate FSWs, married FSWs, and FSWs aged below 21 years or above 30 years.