Community Collectivization and Consistent Condom Use Among Female Sex Workers in Southern India: Evidence from Two Rounds of Behavioral Tracking Surveys.

Shanti Vejella,Sangram Kishor Patel,Niranjan Saggurti,Parimi Prabhakar

doi:10.1007/s10461-015-1171-2

Shanti Vejella, Sangram Kishor Patel + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1171-2

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Journal: AIDS and behavior	Publication Date: Aug 19, 2015
Citations: 53	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Population Council, India HIV/AIDS Alliance

Abstract

Community collectivization is an integral part of condom use and HIV risk reduction interventions among key population. This study assesses community collectivization among female sex workers (FSWs), and explores its relationship with sex workers’ consistent condom use (CCU) with different partners considering the interaction effect of time and collectivization. Data were drawn from two rounds of cross-sectional surveys collected during 2010 (N1 = 1986) and 2012 (N2 = 1973) among FSWs in Andhra Pradesh, India. Results of the multiple logistic regression analysis show that, CCU with regular and occasional clients increased over the inter-survey period among FSWs with a high collective efficacy (AOR 2.9 and 6.1) and collective agency (AOR 14.4 and 19.0) respectively. The association of high levels of collectivization with CCU and self-efficacy for condom use are central to improve the usefulness and sustainability of HIV prevention programs worldwide.

Highlights

Addressing the HIV risk and vulnerability of key populations needs unique approaches
The findings of this study indicate that the majority of female sex workers (FSWs) in Andhra Pradesh report a high degree of collective efficacy, reflecting the confidence that the community mobilization program has built within sex workers over time
The increase noted in collective action from 2010 to 2012 suggests that FSWs started to participate in activities that concern all or some FSWs

Summary

Introduction

Addressing the HIV risk and vulnerability of key populations needs unique approaches. Studies have documented that community-led HIV prevention interventions for FSWs are associated with increased knowledge of HIV risk [3], increased condom use with clients and partners, [4,5,6] and decreased prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) [3, 6]. These community-led structural interventions are important in changing the risky behavior of social and physical environment of FSWs [7,8,9]. Structural interventions encourage HIV prevention activities by addressing these environments, increasing the availability of behavioral choices and addressing the barriers to behavior change [11]

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