Sex Trade Involvement Research Articles

Women Trading Sex in a U.S.-Mexico Border City: A Qualitative Study of the Barriers and Facilitators to Finding Community and Voice.

Poverty and income inequality can increase a woman’s decision to engage in risky transactional sex, and may lead to unimaginable harms, such as violence, substance use, and human trafficking. This study examines the facilitators and barriers to finding community and voice among women trading sex in Tijuana, Mexico, and what factors, such as socio-structural support, violence, and substance use, may impact their potential to engage with others, including human service providers. Sixty qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with women trading sex in Tijuana, Mexico. Researchers met with participants for in-depth-face-to-face structured interviews. Data were coded using ATLAS.ti. Participants were aged 19–73 (mean: 37), 98% were of Mexican nationality, 90% reported trading sex independent of the control of others, with 58% identified as independent and street-based. Thirty percent of women trading sex reported substance use (excluding marijuana) and 20% reported injection drug use within 30 days. The majority reported no involvement in mobilization activities, but 85% expressed interest. However, barriers included stigma, cultural gender norms, partner violence, and privacy in regards to disclosure of sex trade involvement, moral conflict (revealing one’s involvement in sex trade), involvement in substance use, human trafficking, and feeling powerless. Facilitators were having a safe space to meet, peer support, self-esteem, feeling heard, knowledge of rights, economic need to support families, and staying healthy. Findings imply the potential to go beyond mobilizing limited groups of women in the sex trade and instead involve whole community mobilization; that is, to reach and include the more vulnerable women (substance use, trafficked) in supportive services (social services, exit strategies, better healthcare opportunities, and/or education for healthcare providers to help break societal stigmas regarding women in the sex trade) and to change the status of women in society in general.

Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Receptive Anal Intercourse Among Women.

Receptive anal intercourse (RAI), which has become increasingly common among U.S. heterosexual women, is associated with STDs, including HIV, when it is unprotected and coercive. Childhood traumatic experiences may increase sexual risk behavior, but the relationship between childhood trauma and RAI among women has not been examined. Data from 4,876 female participants in Waves 1 (1994-1995), 3 (2001-2002) and 4 (2007-2008) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health were used to examine associations between nine self-reported childhood traumas (neglect; emotional, physical and sexual abuse; parental binge drinking and incarceration; and witnessing, being threatened with and experiencing violence) and RAI during adulthood using modified Poisson regression analysis. Whether depression, low self-esteem, drug use, relationship characteristics or sex trade involvement mediated the relationship between trauma and RAI was also explored. Forty percent of the sample reported having engaged in receptive anal intercourse. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, eight of the nine childhood traumas were associated with increased risk of RAI (adjusted prevalence ratios, 1.2-1.5); the strongest association was with experience of violence. Each unit increase in the number of traumas yielded a 16% increase in RAI prevalence. In mediation analyses, only drug use and relationship factors slightly attenuated the association between childhood trauma and RAI (1.2 for each). Women with a history of childhood trauma may be at increased risk of engaging in RAI, highlighting the importance of screening and trauma-informed education in sexual health settings. Pathways linking childhood trauma and RAI among women are complex and warrant further research.

Adverse Experiences in Childhood and Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk From Adolescence Into Adulthood.

Childhood maltreatment, particularly sexual abuse, has been found to be associated with sexual risk behaviors later in life. We aimed to evaluate associations between a broad range of childhood traumas and sexual risk behaviors from adolescence into adulthood. Using data from Waves I, III and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we used logistic regression to estimate the unadjusted odds ratio (OR) and adjusted OR (AOR) for associations between 9 childhood traumas and a cumulative trauma score and three sexual risk outcomes (multiple partnerships, sex trade involvement, and sexually transmitted infection [STI]) in adolescence, young adulthood, and adulthood. We also examined modification of these associations by gender. Associations between cumulative trauma score and sexual risk outcomes existed at all waves, though were strongest during adolescence. Dose-response-like relationships were observed during at least 1 wave of the study for each outcome. Violence exposures were strong independent correlates of adolescent sexual risk outcomes. Parental binge drinking was the only trauma associated with biologically confirmed infection in young adulthood (AOR, 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-2.11), whereas parental incarceration was the trauma most strongly associated with self-reported STI in adulthood (AOR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.11-2.58). A strong connection was also found between sexual abuse and sex trade in the young adulthood period (AOR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.43-2.49). A broad range of traumas are independent correlates of sex risk behavior and STI, with increasing trauma level linked to increasing odds of sexual risk outcomes. The results underscore the need to consider trauma history in STI screening and prevention strategies.

Impact of Sexual Violence Across the Lifespan on HIV Risk Behaviors Among Transgender Women and Cisgender People Living With HIV.

To examine sexual violence across the lifespan among transgender and cisgender people living with HIV and its associations with recent risk behaviors. Seven community-based sites serving priority populations disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States, including major metropolitan areas in the West and East Coast, as well as the suburban Mid-Atlantic and rural Southeastern regions. From 2013 to 2016, baseline survey data were collected from participants (N = 583) of a multisite community-based HIV linkage to/retention in care study conducted at 7 sites across the United States. Adjusted mixed-effects logistic regression models with random effect for site-assessed associations of sexual violence and gender identity with risk outcomes including condomless sex, sex trade involvement, and substance use-related harms. One-third of participants reported a history of sexual violence; transgender [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 5.1, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.6 to 10.1] and cisgender women (AOR = 3.8, 95% CI: 2.3 to 6.4) were more likely than cisgender men to experience sexual violence. Sexual violence was associated with experiencing drug-related harms (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.2 to 5.5). Transgender women were more likely than cisgender men to have sold sex (AOR = 9.3, 95% CI: 1.7 to 50.0). A history of sexual violence is common among transgender and cisgender women PLWH, and it increases risk for drug-related harms. Transgender women are also more likely to report selling sex.

Can Social Network Analysis Help Address the High Rates of Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infections in Saskatchewan?

Saskatchewan has one of the highest rates of gonorrhea among the Canadian provinces-more than double the national rate. In light of these high rates, and the growing threat of untreatable infections, improved understanding of gonorrhea transmission dynamics in the province and evaluation of the current system and tools for disease control are important. We extracted data from a cross-sectional sample of laboratory-confirmed gonorrhea cases between 2003 and 2012 from the notifiable disease files of the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region. The database was stratified by calendar year, and social network analysis combined with statistical modeling was used to identify associations between measures of connection within the network and the odds of repeat gonorrhea and risk of coinfection with chlamydia at the time of diagnosis. Networks were highly fragmented. Younger age and component size were positively associated with being coinfected with chlamydia. Being coinfected, reporting sex trade involvement, and component size were all positively associated with repeat infection. This is the first study to apply social network analysis to gonorrhea transmission in Saskatchewan and contributes important information about the relationship of network connections to gonorrhea/chlamydia coinfection and repeat gonorrhea. This study also suggests several areas for change of systems-related factors that could greatly increase understanding of social networks and enhance the potential for bacterial sexually transmitted infection control in Saskatchewan.

Multiple Unintended Pregnancies in U.S. Women: A Systematic Review

BackgroundEach year, nearly one-half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Risk factors of unintended pregnancy have been studied without attention to whether the pregnancy was the woman's first unintended pregnancy or whether she had had more than one. Little is known about the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors for multiple unintended pregnancies. The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic review of the extant literature on the risk factors for multiple unintended pregnancies in women in the United States, and whether these factors are specific to multiple unintended pregnancies. MethodsPubMed, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science, and JSTOR databases were searched for empirical research studies performed after 1979, in the United States, with a primary outcome of multiple unintended pregnancies. Articles that did not establish the intendedness of the studied pregnancies were excluded. ResultsSeven studies were identified. For multiple unintended pregnancies, incidence rates ranged from 7.4 to 30.9 per 100 person-years and prevalence rates ranged from 17% to 31.6%. Greater age; identifying as Black or Hispanic; nonvoluntary first intercourse, particularly at a young age; sex trade involvement; and previous abortion were found to be associated with multiple unintended pregnancies. Use of intrauterine devices or combined oral contraceptives were found to decrease the risk of multiple unintended pregnancies. ConclusionsThis review suggests a small number of modifiable factors that may be used to better predict and manage multiple unintended pregnancies.

HIV-Related Sexual Risk among African American Men Preceding Incarceration: Associations with Support from Significant Others, Family, and Friends.

We evaluated the association between social support received from significant others, family, and friends and HIV-related sexual risk behaviors among African American men involved in the criminal justice system. Project DISRUPT is a cohort study among African American men released from prison in North Carolina (N = 189). During the baseline (in-prison) survey, we assessed the amount of support men perceived they had received from significant others, family, and friends. We measured associations between low support from each source (<median value) and participants' sex risk in the 6months before incarceration. Low levels of social support from significant others, family, or friends were associated with poverty and homelessness, mental disorders, and substance use. Adjusting for age, poverty, and other sources of support, perceiving low support from significant others was strongly associated with multiple partnerships (fully adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29-5.42). Low significant other support also was strongly associated with sex trade involvement when adjusting for age and poverty status (adjusted OR 3.51, 95% CI 1.25-9.85) but further adjustment for low family and friend support weakened the association (fully adjusted OR 2.81, 95% CI 0.92-8.55). Significant other support was not associated with other sex risk outcomes including concurrent partnerships, anal sex, or sex with an STI/HIV-infected partner. Low family support was associated with multiple partnerships in analyses adjusting for age and poverty (adjusted OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.05-3.76) but the association weakened and was no longer significant after adjusting for other sources of support (fully adjusted OR 1.40, 95% CI 0.65-3.00); family support was not correlated with other risk behaviors. Friend support was not significantly associated with sex risk outcomes. Indicators of overall support from any source were not associated with sex risk outcomes. Helping inmates maintain ties may improve economic security and well-being during community re-entry, while supporting and strengthening relationships with a significant other in particular may help reduce sex risk. Studies should evaluate the protective effects of distinct support sources to avoid masking effects of support and to best understand the influence of social support on health.

Correlates of sex trading among male non-injecting drug users in Myanmar: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundSex trading is a recognized risk factor for human immune deficiency virus infection and other sexually transmitted infections among non-injecting drug users (NIDUs). However, very little research has addressed the factors associated with sex trading among male NIDUs in Myanmar.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from January to February 2010 using the respondent-driven sampling method. In total, 210 NIDUs aged between 18 and 49 years, with no history of injecting drug use, and who used non-injected illicit drugs in the last 6 months were recruited. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire to collect information on participants’ sexual and drug use behaviors. Binary and multivariate logistic regressions were applied to analyze the resulting data.ResultsOf 210 NIDUs, 84 (40%) reported involvement in the sex trade during the last 3 months. In the adjusted model, factors associated with sex trade involvement included homosexual preference (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 4.90; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.61–14.95), having more than two partners (AOR = 3.88; 95% CI 1.55–9.72), had a regular job (AOR = 5.10; 95% CI 1.65–15.72), use of stimulant drugs rather than opiate (AOR = 2.38; 95% CI 1.10–5.15), and who used drugs more than twice per day.ConclusionsMore than one third of NIDUs were involved in sex trading. This study suggested that further comprehensive intervention programs that aim to reduce risk factors of trading sex among NIDUs may consider including NIDUs who used stimulant drugs, had regular/full-time jobs, used drugs more than twice per day, and had homosexual preferences.

Transactional sex among men who have sex with men in the French Antilles and French Guiana: frequency and associated factors

ABSTRACTThe French Antilles (Martinique, Saint Martin and Guadeloupe) and French Guiana are the French territories most affected by the HIV epidemic. Some population groups such as men who have sex with men (MSM), especially those involved in transactional sex, are thought to be particularly vulnerable to HIV but few data exist to help characterize their health-related needs and thus implement relevant prevention interventions. To fill this knowledge gap, we used data collected from an HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviours and Practices survey conducted in 2012 among MSM living in the French Antilles and French Guiana and recruited through snowball sampling. Our objectives were to compare social and demographic characteristics and sexual behaviours between MSM engaging in transactional sex and MSM not engaging in transactional sex and to identify factors associated with transactional sex involvement using a logistic regression model. A total of 733 MSM were interviewed, 21% of whom reported to undergo transactional sex. Their behaviour and social and demographic characteristics were different from other MSMs’ and they were more exposed to factors that are recognized to potentiate HIV vulnerability, at the individual, community, network and structural levels. The variables positively associated with sex trade involvement were having ever consumed drug (OR = 2.84 [1.23–6.52]; p = .002), having a greater number of sex partners than the median (OR = 8.31 [4.84–14.30]; p < .001), having experienced intimate partner violence (OR = 1.72 [0.99–3.00]; p = .053) and having undergone physical aggression because of sexual orientation (OR = 2.84 [1.23–6.52]; p = .014). Variables negatively associated with sex trade involvement were being older (OR = 0.93 [0.90–0.97] per year; p = .001), having a stable administrative situation (OR = 0.10 [0.06–0.19]; p < .001), having a stable housing (OR = 0.29 [0.15–0.55]; p < .001) and being employed full-time (OR = 0.29 [1.23–6.52]; p = .002).

Invisible Victims: American Indian Women and Adolescent Involvement in the Domestic Sex Trade

Invisible Victims: American Indian Women and Adolescent Involvement in the Domestic Sex Trade

Demographic and behavioural characteristics predict bacterial STI reinfection and coinfection among a cross-sectional sample of laboratory-confirmed gonorrhea cases in a local health region from Saskatchewan, Canada.

We aimed to identify demographic and behavioural determinants associated with risk of repeat STI infection and coinfection with gonorrhea and chlamydia in the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region, Saskatchewan. We extracted data from a cross-sectional sample of laboratory confirmed gonorrhea cases between 2003 and 2012 from the notifiable disease files of the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region. Risk factors for repeater status were examined using logistic regression and for coinfection with gonorrhea and chlamydia using mixed-effects logistic regression to account for multiple diagnoses for individual clients. Data from 1,143 cases (representing 1,027 unique individuals) and 1,524 reported contacts (representing 1,383 unique individuals) were extracted from the 10-year period. Factors associated with repeat infection entries in the database included younger age at first visit (p = 0.01), coinfection (p = 0.01), and sex trade involvement (p &lt; 0.01). Factors associated with coinfection at the time of diagnosis included younger age at diagnosis (p &lt; 0.001) and reported alcohol or drug abuse (p = 0.04). In one of the first epidemiologic studies on gonorrhea in Saskatchewan, we have identified age, engagement in the sex trade, and drug and alcohol abuse as potential markers to identify clients with a high risk of reinfection and coinfection in the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region. This information can help health care professionals in Saskatchewan's urban centres personalize their approach to counselling and treatment to optimize patient outcomes and disease control efforts, including potentially using expedited partner therapy and/or dual therapy where indicated.

Examining the associations between sex trade involvement, rape, and symptomatology of sexual abuse trauma.

The high prevalence of rape and sexual trauma symptomatology among women involved in street-based sex trades is well-established. Because prior research has lacked appropriate, non-sex trade involved comparison groups, it is unknown whether differences exist among similarly situated women who do and do not trade sex. This article explores experiences of childhood and adult rape and symptomatology of sexual abuse trauma among a community-based sample of 322 women who use methamphetamine in San Francisco, California, 61% of whom were involved in the sex trade. Study participants were recruited via respondent-driven sampling and eligible if they were cisgender women, aged 18 or older, current methamphetamine users, and sexually active with at least one cisgender man in the past 6 months. The dependent variable was sexual abuse trauma symptomatology, as measured by the Sexual Abuse Trauma Index (SATI) subscale of the Trauma Symptom Checklist-40 (TSC-40), and the explanatory variable was sex trade involvement. Potential covariates were age, current homelessness, methamphetamine dependence, and experiences of childhood and adult rape. Sixty-one percent of participants had a SATI subscale score suggestive of sexual abuse trauma. The overall prevalence of rape in childhood and adulthood was 52% and 73%, respectively. In bivariate analysis, sex trade involvement and all of the potential covariates except for homelessness and age were associated with a SATI score suggestive of sexual abuse trauma. In multivariate models controlling for significant covariates, there was no longer a statistically significant association between sex trade involvement or childhood rape and an elevated SATI score. Elevated levels of psychological dependence on methamphetamine and experiences of rape as an adult were still associated with a high SATI score. These findings highlight that urban poor women, regardless of sex trade involvement, suffer high levels of rape and related trauma symptomatology.

History of intimate partner violence is associated with sex work but not sexually transmitted infection among HIV-positive female drinkers in Russia

This paper assesses the associations between intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexual risks among HIV-positive female drinkers in St Petersburg, Russia. Survey and STI data were analysed from 285 women in HERMITAGE, a secondary prevention study of HIV-positive heavy drinkers. Logistic and Poisson regression analyses assessed associations of IPV with STI and risky sex. Most women (78%) experienced IPV and 19% were STI positive; 15% sold sex. IPV was not significantly associated with STI, but was with selling sex (adjusted odds ratio = 3.56, 95% confidence interval = 1.02-12.43). In conclusion, IPV is common and associated with sex trade involvement among Russian HIV-positive female drinkers.

An Emerging Trend of Methamphetamine Injection in Iran: A Critical Target for Research on Blood-Borne Infection Diseases

Recently, Iran has faced a rapidly growing HIV/AIDS problem particularly among injecting drug users (IDUs). A study on IDUs who had been admitted at some DICs in Iran revealed that 20.5% were infected with HIV and 43.4% were infected with HCV (1). Studies on drug injection in Iran have been generally oriented toward opioid users (2) and transmission of blood-borne infection diseases (3). In recent years, a new trend of methamphetamine injection is also observed in the community. Methamphetamine use could contribute to practicing injection, and transmission of blood-borne infection diseases. Studies in developed countries show that as a highly addictive psychostimulant drug, methamphetamine use can increase high-risk sexual behaviors and injection, and the risk of being infected with HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis (4-6). Compared to other substances, methamphetamine use is more often linked to increased casual partners and decreased condom use (7, 8), unprotected sex and increased risk for being infected with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (9, 10), increased involvement in sex trade, needle sharing and failure to clean used needles (5, 11). A study on 139 heterosexual cases who were methamphetamine addicts showed that they reused syringes and shared needles (12). Risky sex among heterosexual and homosexual users of methamphetamine has also contributed to higher rates of hepatitis and HIV infection rates (13, 14). Methamphetamine use also interferes with the efficacy of HIV medications and treatment (15). Methamphetamine is a newly introduced drug in Iran. As a developing country, a recent UNODC world drug report shows that methamphetamine seizures are increasing in Iran (16). Currently, methamphetamine use is observed in emergency departments of psychiatric hospitals (17), among young people in the community (18), opiate-dependent patients who refer to methadone maintenance treatment (19), and IDUs who share syringes (20). In recent years, a harm reduction approach has been rapidly developed for IDUs in Iran. Methadone and buprenorphine maintenance treatment programs have become the main forms of harm reduction programs in the country since 2002 (21) and needle and syringe programs (NSPs) have contributed to a decrease in sharing practices among IDUs (22) but these programs have been implemented for injecting opiate users and it has remained unknown whether the current available interventions could meet the treatment needs of injecting methamphetamine users (IMUs) as a group of psychostimulant users in the country. It should be noted that Iranian IMUs are likely to be at risk for being infected with blood-borne infection diseases but the available information is often of poor quality. This issue may be partly due to the new presence of methamphetamine as a psychostimulant drug in the community. In the other words, in Iran, the investment in treatment of blood-borne infection diseases among IMUs is considerable in recent years. However, the investment in research has been inadequate, making it difficult to assess the epidemics of blood-borne infection diseases among IMUs and evaluate the efficacy of implemented treatment and harm reduction programs. It is possible that a high rate of blood-borne infection diseases has occurred among IMUs in some parts of Iran and has not been recognized yet. As a result, there is a need for conducting epidemiological studies on methamphetamine injection in Iran to investigate the prevalence of methamphetamine injection, the spread of blood-borne infection diseases and control its health implications in all parts of the country. Such studies could contribute to having a more complete nationwide profile of the problem, designing better prevention, treatment and harm reduction programs and improving the quality of current services based on the treatment needs and drug-related characteristics of IMUs. If such studies are not conducted, the healthcare system of Iran will have to prepare itself for long-term consequences of spreading blood-borne infection diseases that are associated with methamphetamine injection in the country. Future studies should be focused on breaking the cycle of blood-borne infection diseases by implementing multidisciplinary interventional approaches to control the spread of these infections among IMUs and to the general population. A study on the feasibility of offering late-night harm reduction services for a group of methamphetamine-using men showed that providing needle exchange, condoms, sexually transmitted infection testing and harm reduction education could decrease the risk of being infected with HIV (23). Drug use prevention and treatment programs that prevent or slow drug injection had profound effects on the HIV and HCV epidemics in other countries (24). Intervention efforts should be expanded progressively in Iran to include comprehensive prevention of blood-borne infection diseases with educational programs, and methamphetamine use therapy, and some therapeutic components such as specific drug-related educational programs must be incorporated for preventing blood-borne infection diseases among IMUs.

Sexually transmitted infections among HIV-infected heavy drinkers in St Petersburg, Russia

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and identify correlates of four sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among HIV-infected Russians reporting heavy alcohol use and recent unprotected sex, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the HERMITAGE study. The primary outcome was any current STI, based on urine tests for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis and Trichomonas vaginalis and serological testing for infection with Treponema pallidum. Data on potential demographic and behavioural predictors of STI were obtained from surveys administered at study entry. Of 682 participants, 12.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.3, 15.3) tested positive for at least one STI. In a multivariable model adjusted for gender, age and marital status, only sex trade involvement over the last three months was significantly associated with an increased odds of STI (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.00, 95% CI 1.13, 3.55). Given that STIs were common in this HIV-infected cohort, and that few patient characteristics predicted STI, the current practice of screening HIV-infected Russians for syphilis alone merits re-evaluation.

Experiences of Racial Discrimination and Relation to Sexual Risk for HIV among a Sample of Urban Black and African American Men

This study aimed to examine racial discrimination and relation to sexual risk for HIV among a sample of urban black and African American men. Participants of this cross-sectional study were black and African American men (N = 703) between the ages of 18 and 65 years, recruited from four urban clinical sites in the northeast. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the relation of reported racial discrimination to the following: (1) sex trade involvement, (2) recent unprotected sex, and (3) reporting a number of sex partners in the past 12 months greater than the sample average. The majority of the sample (96%) reported racial discrimination. In adjusted analyses, men reporting high levels of discrimination were significantly more likely to report recent sex trade involvement (buying and/or selling) (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) range = 1.7-2.3), having recent unprotected vaginal sex with a female partner (AOR = 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-2.0), and reporting more than four sex partners in the past year (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI, 1.1-1.9). Findings highlight the link between experiences of racial discrimination and men's sexual risk for HIV.

Social and Environmental Predictors of Plasma HIV RNA Rebound Among Injection Drug Users Treated With Antiretroviral Therapy

Evidence is needed to improve HIV treatment outcomes for individuals who use injection drugs (IDU). Although studies have suggested higher rates of plasma viral load (PVL) rebound among IDU on antiretroviral therapy (ART), risk factors for rebound have not been thoroughly investigated. We used data from a long-running community-recruited prospective cohort of IDU in Vancouver, Canada, linked to comprehensive ART and clinical monitoring records. Using proportional hazards methods, we modeled the time to confirmed PVL rebound above 1000 copies per milliliter among IDU on ART with sustained viral suppression, defined as 2 consecutive undetectable PVL measures. Between 1996 and 2009, 277 individuals had sustained viral suppression. Over a median follow-up of 32 months, 125 participants (45.1%) experienced at least 1 episode of virologic failure for an incidence of 12.6 [95% confidence interval (CI): 10.5 to 15.0] per 100 person-years. In a multivariate model, PVL rebound was independently associated with sex-trade involvement [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.82) and recent incarceration (AHR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.33 to 2.52). Methadone maintenance therapy (AHR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.66 to 0.94) was protective. No measure of illicit drug use was predictive. In this setting of free ART, several social and environmental factors predicted higher risks of viral rebound among IDU, including sex-trade involvement and incarceration. These findings should help inform efforts to identify individuals at risk of viral rebound and targeted interventions to treat and retain individuals in effective ART.

LBP-1.08 Preliminary report on experience with point of care syphilis and HIV testing in hard-to-reach populations in outreach settings in Edmonton, Canada

BackgroundEdmonton is in the midst of a syphilis outbreak occurring largely in high risk and hard-to-reach populations. Point of care (POC) testing for syphilis and HIV offers the opportunity for immediate and rapid access to testing, and in the case of syphilis, immediate treatment. POC syphilis tests have not been previously evaluated in clinical settings in Canada.MethodsSince 14 February 2011, treponemal syphilis (Bioline Syphilis 3.0) and HIV (INSTI HIV-1/HIV-2 Antibody Test) POC testing, using whole blood from a finger prick specimen, has been offered to outreach clients in Edmonton. POC results were compared to standard testing from simultaneously collected serum specimens. Baseline demographics, sexual and drug use risk behaviour information were collected. Age and gender were collected on individuals who refused POC testing. A descriptive analysis was performed on the characteristics and outcomes of participants and those who refused.ResultsAs of 15 April 2011, 146 individuals had been offered POC testing; 85.6% (n=125) consented. Among participants, 59.2% (74) were male [vs 66.7% (14) of non-participants, p=0.5)] and the median age was 29 yrs (IQR 24–36 yrs) [vs non-participants median age 29 yrs (IQR 25–45 yrs), p=0.2)]. The majority of participants (83.2%; 104) were heterosexual, 59.2% (69) were Aboriginal, and 30.4% (38) reported injection drug use. Among females, 62.7% (32) reported sex trade involvement, while among males, 21.6% (16) reported sex with a sex trade worker. Of 121 syphilis treponemal POC tests, 5 (4.1%) were positive, all in old treated cases of syphilis that were asymptomatic for infectious syphilis at the time of testing. Two syphilis POC (1.7%) tests were falsely negative when compared to the standard screening test (Architect Syphilis TP Microparticles, Abbott Laboratories, Illinois, USA); both were in individuals previously treated for syphilis. Of 123 HIV POC tests, 2 (1.6%) were reactive, both newly diagnosed cases as confirmed by GS HIV-1 Western Blot (BioRad Laboratories, California, USA); both were negative by syphilis POC tests.ConclusionPreliminary results from Edmonton suggest that POC testing for syphilis and HIV is well accepted among high-risk populations in outreach settings in Edmonton. This ongoing study will assess the utility of these tests in mitigating the further spread of both syphilis and HIV through POC testing, and in the case of syphilis, POC treatment.

Sex Trade Involvement in São Paulo, Brazil and Toronto, Canada

An extensive international literature has been developed regarding the risk trajectories of sex trade-involved children and youth. This literature has not, however, substantially incorporated the narratives of youths regarding their experiences. In this article, the contemporary literature on child and youth sex trade-involvement is reviewed and the findings of a qualitative analysis of the narratives of 14 youth from Sao Paulo, Brazil and 58 youth from Toronto, Canada are presented. Substantial similarities were found between the groups of narratives with respect to abusive and unstable home experiences, pathways into the sex trade, social exclusion, and the impacts of the sex trade on physical and mental health. Key areas of divergence included the roles of poverty and drug use in entering the sex trade. The implications of shared experiences of social exclusion and fragmented identity across differing sociocultural contexts for policy and intervention are discussed.

Factors associated with employment among a cohort of injection drug users

One of the most substantial costs of drug use is lost productivity and social functioning, including holding of a regular job. However, little is known about employment patterns of injection drug users (IDU). We sought to identify factors that were associated with legal employment among IDU. We describe the employment patterns of participants of a longitudinal cohort study of IDU in Vancouver, Canada. We then use generalised estimating equations (GEE) to determine statistical associations between legal employment and various intrinsic, acquired, behavioural and circumstantial factors. From 1 June 1999 to 30 November 2003, 330 (27.7%) of 1190 participants reported having a job at some point during follow up. Employment rates remain somewhat stable throughout the study period (9-12.4%). Factors positively and significantly associated with legal employment in multivariate analysis were male gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.78) and living outside the Downtown Eastside (AOR = 1.85). Factors negatively and significantly associated with legal employment included older age (AOR = 0.97); Aboriginal ethnicity (AOR = 0.72); HIV-positive serostatus (AOR = 0.32); HCV-positive serostatus (AOR = 0.46); daily heroin injection (AOR = 0.73); daily crack use (AOR = 0.77); public injecting (AOR = 0.50); sex trade involvement (AOR = 0.49); recent incarceration (AOR = 0.56); and unstable housing (AOR = 0.57). Our results suggest a stabilising effect of employment for IDU and socio-demographic, drug use and risk-related barriers to employment. There is a strong case to address these barriers and to develop innovative employment programming for high-risk drug users.