The study subjects were interviewed to obtain information about socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics and gynecologic and STI history, using a standardized interview. They underwent a physical examination during which cervical swabs were collected for GC and CT testing by polymerase chain reaction PCR.
Prevalences were The existing STI health education program for FSWs should be strengthened, with special consideration of the correlates observed in this study. Sexually transmitted infections STIs are a major health problem world-wide, especially in developing countries. STIs with or without genital ulcers have been shown to increase the risk for human immunodeficiency virus HIV transmission.
Nonetheless, the World Health Organization WHO estimated that there are approximately million new cases each year of syphilis, gonorrhea GC , chlamydia CT , and trichomoniasis TV occurring in men and women aged 15 to 49 years. STIs continue to be a major public health concern in many countries. In Vietnam, there were nearly , STI cases reported in , but it was estimated that there were actually a million new STI cases. Underdiagnosis and undertreatment therefore occur among FSWs, forcing these women to live with STIs and to be at increased risk for both becoming HIV-infected and transmitting their infections to their clients and other sexual partners.
Soc Trang is a typically poor Mekong Delta province in southern Vietnam. Many women augment their income by selling sex. Sex workers in this province also come from many other Mekong Delta provinces. STI prevention is a key component of these projects. Using information from mapping, FSWs in Soc Trang province were identified and invited to participate in a cross-sectional study between May and August It was not feasible to do systematic random sampling to recruit subjects in each hot spot, because no lists of FSWs were available.
The interviewers obtained agreement from the owners of establishments and FSWs before they could enroll the subjects needed for the study by convenience sampling. Therefore, the number of refusals FSWs who avoided meeting with the interviewers was not known. Informed verbal consent was obtained from all subjects. The required sample size was estimated to be , but was rounded up to subjects. Using a standard guide in Vietnamese, subjects were interviewed by a peer educator about selected sociodemographic characteristics, sexual behavior, healthcare-seeking behavior, and history of STIs.
