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Internet Use Among Female Sex Workers in China: Implications for HIV/STI Prevention

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Abstract

Based on a cross-sectional survey with 1,022 female sex workers (FSWs) recruited from different types of commercial sex venues in Southwest China, we examined their Internet-using behaviors and explored the feasibility of Internet-based HIV/STI intervention in this population. About 75% of FSWs were Internet users; among them 57% were frequent users, and 40% had searched HIV/STI information online. Internet use was significantly associated with younger age, more schooling, higher income, and engagement in a social network of Internet users. Frequent use of the Internet was associated only with factors of the social environment, such as peers’ Internet use. Two thirds of Internet-using FSWs were willing to participate in an online HIV/STI prevention program. Multivariate analyses showed that willingness to participate in an online HIV/STI prevention intervention was significantly associated with higher Internet use and younger age. Our data suggest that Internet may offer a promising strategy to deliver low-cost HIV/STI prevention programs for FSWs in China.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported “in part” by NIH Research Grant R01AA018090 by the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIAAA/NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center, 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX, USA

    Yan Hong & Chen Zhang

  2. Prevention Research Center, Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA

    Xiaoming Li

  3. Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Xiaoyi Fang & Xiuyun Lin

Authors
  1. Yan Hong
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  2. Xiaoming Li
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  3. Xiaoyi Fang
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  4. Xiuyun Lin
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  5. Chen Zhang
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Correspondence to Yan Hong.

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Hong, Y., Li, X., Fang, X. et al. Internet Use Among Female Sex Workers in China: Implications for HIV/STI Prevention. AIDS Behav 15, 273–282 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-010-9846-1

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