These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Barriers to human immunodeficiency virus related risk reduction among male street prostitutes.
    Author: Simon PM, Morse EV, Balson PM, Osofsky HJ, Gaumer HR.
    Journal: Health Educ Q; 1993; 20(2):261-73. PubMed ID: 8491637.
    Abstract:
    Two hundred eleven male street prostitutes between the ages of 18 and 51 years were interviewed and tested for antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Economic, social, and emotional barriers to the reduction of HIV-related risk behavior were examined within the context of several concepts present in the Health Belief Model (HBM). Three lifestyle factors were found to function as barriers to engaging in risk reduction behavior. Subjects who were more economically dependent on prostitution, perceived less control over the hustling encounter, and reported increased pleasure from sexual activity with their customers were more likely to engage in risk-taking behavior. Prostitutes' perception of the severity of HIV infection was not significantly associated with their risk behavior. Unexpected findings indicated that increases in perceived susceptibility to HIV and perceived benefit of condom use for HIV prevention were significantly related to increased risk-taking behavior. Practical applications of findings in the design and implementation of future HIV-related preventive health education programs are discussed. A survey of male street prostitutes in New Orleans, Louisiana, on the social, economic, and psychological barriers to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related risk reduction behaviors has significant implications for the design of health education programs. The 211 subjects, ages 18-51 years, were tested for HIV antibodies and interviewed through use of a semi-structured schedule aimed at eliciting data on life-style and based on the Health Belief Model. 37 (17.5%) of study subjects were HIV-positive. HIV risk behavior was measured on the basis of participation in anal-genital and oral-genital sex, sexual orientation, and syphilis serostatus. High-risk behavior was found to be significantly positively associated with economic dependence on hustling, enjoyment of sex with tricks, and perceived control over hustling, negatively with frequency and quantity of substance abuse. These variables accounted for 6%, 3%, 4% and 4%, respectively, of the total variance in risk behavior. 96% of male prostitutes identified HIV as a serious condition; however, risk-taking behavior was found to increase with increased levels of perceived susceptibility to HIV infection. Finally, risk-taking behaviors increased along with increased in perceptions of the availability and efficacy of condoms. These findings suggest that health education efforts based on promoting HIV infection as a serious condition or emphasizing the effectiveness of condom use will be ineffective without attention to the social context of population groups at greatest risk of HIV infection. Measures most likely to reduce HIV-taking behaviors among male prostitutes are, according to these findings, elimination of the economic incentive for engaging in unsafe sex through the provision of alternative income sources, empowering male prostitutes to exert control over the hustling situation, and promotion of achievement of sexual pleasure through safe sex.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]