Abstract
IntroductionThe cornerstone of HIV prevention among female adolescent prostitutes is awareness promotion complemented with advocacy on consistent and correct use of condom. The study aimed at reviewing HIV awareness and condom use among female adolescent prostitutes in Lagos communities, Nigeria.MethodsIt was a mixed-method study realized through a questionnaire-based survey and in-depth interviews of adolescent sex workers in Oyingbo and Yaba communities of Lagos State, Nigeria; conducted between 1st of April, 2014 and 30th of September, 2014. SPSS version 17.0 and content analysis were used in analyzing quantitative and qualitative data respectively.Results97.3% had heard about HIV/AIDS; with 86.9% being tested for HIV in the preceding 6 months. While there was consistent use of male condom in 99.7% of the respondents, 90% had experience with the use of female condom, however, 95.5% would allow non- use of condom for higher financial reward.ConclusionAlthough the level of awareness of HIV/AIDS was high among the respondents, there is need to improve on the level of awareness and preventive strategies for HIV/AIDS, with more emphasis laid on the consistent and correct use of condom in this highly vulnerable class of people.
Highlights
Female adolescent prostitution is a variant of community-induced sexual violence and oppression against young girls and teenagers in the age group of 10-19 years either for sexual gratification or economic reason [1, 2]
While 277 (95.5%) of the respondents believed that education could influence the correct and consistent use of condom among female adolescent sex workers, 11 (3.8%) did not agree that education could be of any value
The level of awareness of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was high among the sex workers in the study location; as the findings from this study showed that 282 (97.3%) of the respondents that participated in the research work had heard about HIV/AIDS as a sexually transmitted disease, while 1 (0.3%) had not heard about the disease
Summary
Female adolescent prostitution is a variant of community-induced sexual violence and oppression against young girls and teenagers in the age group of 10-19 years either for sexual gratification or economic reason [1, 2] It is of both public and reproductive health importance. Most of the available studies on HIV awareness and condom use in sex industry were conducted generally on men and women of reproductive age (15-49) [11, 12], there is paucity of specific data on the views and experiences of adolescent girls in the same sex trade This type of study becomes essential to be able to appreciate the possible prostitution peculiarities and conditions in a younger age group (adolescents) that findings have shown that clients have preference for in the business [13].
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