Correlates of Current Transactional Sex among a Sample of Female Exotic Dancers in Baltimore,MD |
| |
Authors: | Jacqueline Reuben Chris Serio-Chapman Christopher Welsh Richard Matens Susan G Sherman |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E6543, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA;(2) Division of Chronic Disease Prevention, Baltimore City Health Department, 1001 East Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA;(3) Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland Medical Center, 22 S. Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; |
| |
Abstract: | Transactional sex work, broadly defined as the exchange of money, drugs, or goods for sexual services, occurs in a wide range
of environments. There is a large body of research characterizing the risks and harms associated with street- and venue-based
sex work, but there is a dearth of research characterizing the risk associated with the environment of exotic dance clubs.
The current study aimed to: (1) characterize the nature of female exotic dancers’ sex- and drug-related risk behaviors, (2)
to examine the role of the club environment in these behaviors, and (3) to examine correlates of currently exchanging sex.
From June 2008 to February 2009, we conducted a cross-sectional study among women who were aged 18 years or older and reported
exotic dancing within the past 3 months (n = 98). The survey ascertained socio-demographic characteristics, personal health, medical history, sexual practices, drug
use, and employment at clubs on the block. Bivariate and multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance was used to
identify correlates of current sex exchange. Participants were a median of 24 years old, and were 58% white; 43% had not completed
high school. Seventy-four percent reported ever having been arrested. Twenty-six percent reported having injected heroin and
29% reported having smoked crack in the past 3 months. Fifty-seven percent reported using drugs in the club in the past 3 months.
Sixty-one percent had ever engaged in transactional sex, and 67% of those did so for the first time after beginning to dance.
Forty-three percent reported selling any sex in the club in the past 3 months. In multiple Poisson regression, factors associated
with current sex exchange included: race, ever having been arrested, and using drugs in the club. High levels of both drug
use and transactional sex among this sample of exotic dancers were reported. These findings indicate that there are a number
of drug- and sex-related harms faced by exotic dancers in strip clubs, implicating the environment in the promotion of HIV/STI
risk-taking behaviors. Prevention and intervention programs targeting this population are needed to reduce the harms faced
by exotic dancers in this environment. |
| |
Keywords: | Female Sex Workers Illicit Drug Use Heroin Exotic Dancers Risk Behaviors HIV/AIDS Risk Environment |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|