Factors associated with condom use among sex workers of venezuelan origin in ColombiaFatores associados ao uso de preservativo em profissionais do sexo de origem venezuelana na Colômbia

Abstract

To describe the factors that determine condom use in Venezuelan immigrant sex workers in Colombia. A qualitative study was conducted with an interpretive hermeneutic approach, using semi-structured interviews developed in the Metropolitan Area of Aburrá Valley, Bogotá, and the Colombian coffee-growing region. Fifty-five interviews were conducted. Of the total number of people interviewed, 60% were cisgender men, 31% were cisgender women, and 9% were transgender women. The average age of the participants was 27 years. Sixty-nine percent were irregular migrants in Colombia. Only 11% were affiliated with the health system. It was observed that condom use is inconsistent among sex workers, depending on personal and social factors. The factors that influence condom use in sex workers of Venezuelan origin in Colombia are determined by various factors, both personal and social. Personal factors relate to knowledge, support networks, and risk perception, while social factors are associated with substance use, stigma and discrimination, and the places where sex work is done. Social factors are the ones that most influence inconsistent condom use in cisgender men and transgender women.