The survey of AIDS knowledge behaviors and condom use among female sex workers in Heilongjiang Province

Objective To understand the knowledge,behavior and condom use among female sex workers,to develop AIDS prevention and control measures among female sex workers.Methods Methods of investigation were uniformed.Questionnaires were completed by the highly trained investigators.Samples were collected from the female sex workers gathering place in 55 counties.Results The correct answer rate of AIDS knowledge was more than 80.00% except one that was 72.05% among 5 055 female sex workers.The rate of insisting condom use was 37.55% among female sex workers,the reason of using condom was mainly fear of AIDS,accounted for 39.04%.The rate of condom use was 18.13% among female sex workers who have sex behaviour with regular partners.The rate of venereal disease related symptoms was 31.89%,the main treatment approach for patients with venereal disease wasto the venereal diseases specialist hospital,accounting for 37.72%.The rate of taking drug was 0.16% among female sex workers.Correlation analysis showed that the correct answer rate of AIDS knowledge was the highest among insisting condom users in 8 AIDS-related issues.Multifactorial Logistic regression analysis showed that hotels,guesthouses and other advanced places had high frequency of condom use among female sex workers.They were reluctant to insist on using condoms when had worked larger number of days per month,but the older were willing to use condoms at the first time of commercial sex.The same results also occurred in the ones that had higher price each work and picked up more clients in recent week.Conclusions The rate of AIDS knowledge awareness among female sex workers was generally high in 2008 in Heilongjiang Province.Frequency of condom use was positively correlated with the rate of AIDS knowledge awareness.Health education should be strengthened to female sex workers within massage room,foot museum,small hotels and so on.It should be enhanced to the propaganda on knowledge of non-transmission routes of AIDS,treatment methods and the importance of using condom.