Who Asks About HIV/STI Status?: An Analysis of Women Who Sell Sex and Inject Drugs

Sean Travis Allen; Rebecca Hamilton White; Danielle F. Nestadt; Catherine Tomko; Michele R. Decker; Susan G. Sherman

doi:10.1007/s10461-022-03898-w

Who Asks About HIV/STI Status? An Analysis of Women Who Sell Sex and Inject Drugs

Sean Travis Allen, Rebecca Hamilton White, Danielle F. Nestadt, Catherine Tomko, Michele R. Decker, Susan G. Sherman

Bloomberg School of Public Health

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Communication about HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) is a cornerstone of risk reduction, yet there is a dearth of research that examines communication patterns among persons with dual risks for HIV/STI acquisition, such as women who sell sex and inject drugs (WSSID). We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with WSSID (N = 211) in Baltimore, Maryland always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Most WSSID were non-Hispanic White (73%) and 74% reported current homelessness. 50% of WSSID reported always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Experiencing depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29, 0.96) and having condomless sex with clients (aOR 0.31; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.57) were inversely associated with WSSID always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Recent entry into sex work (aOR 2.99; 95% CI: 1.30, 6.87) was positively associated with always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Enhancing HIV/STI communication in combination with engagement in other risk mitigation strategies may decrease disease incidence among WSSID.

Original language	English (US)
Journal	AIDS and behavior
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-022-03898-w
State	Accepted/In press - 2022

Keywords

HIV prevention
HIV/STI communication
injection drug use
sex work

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Infectious Diseases

Access to Document

10.1007/s10461-022-03898-w

Cite this

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title = "Who Asks About HIV/STI Status?: An Analysis of Women Who Sell Sex and Inject Drugs",

abstract = "Communication about HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) is a cornerstone of risk reduction, yet there is a dearth of research that examines communication patterns among persons with dual risks for HIV/STI acquisition, such as women who sell sex and inject drugs (WSSID). We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with WSSID (N = 211) in Baltimore, Maryland always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Most WSSID were non-Hispanic White (73%) and 74% reported current homelessness. 50% of WSSID reported always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Experiencing depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29, 0.96) and having condomless sex with clients (aOR 0.31; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.57) were inversely associated with WSSID always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Recent entry into sex work (aOR 2.99; 95% CI: 1.30, 6.87) was positively associated with always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Enhancing HIV/STI communication in combination with engagement in other risk mitigation strategies may decrease disease incidence among WSSID.",

keywords = "HIV prevention, HIV/STI communication, injection drug use, sex work",

author = "Allen, {Sean Travis} and White, {Rebecca Hamilton} and Nestadt, {Danielle F.} and Catherine Tomko and Decker, {Michele R.} and Sherman, {Susan G.}",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA041243); National Institute of Mental Health (F31MH118817); and Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research, a National Institutes of Health funded program (P30AI094189). Dr. Allen is also supported by the NIH (K01DA046234). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.",

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AU - Tomko, Catherine

AU - Decker, Michele R.

AU - Sherman, Susan G.

N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA041243); National Institute of Mental Health (F31MH118817); and Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research, a National Institutes of Health funded program (P30AI094189). Dr. Allen is also supported by the NIH (K01DA046234). Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

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N2 - Communication about HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) is a cornerstone of risk reduction, yet there is a dearth of research that examines communication patterns among persons with dual risks for HIV/STI acquisition, such as women who sell sex and inject drugs (WSSID). We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with WSSID (N = 211) in Baltimore, Maryland always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Most WSSID were non-Hispanic White (73%) and 74% reported current homelessness. 50% of WSSID reported always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Experiencing depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29, 0.96) and having condomless sex with clients (aOR 0.31; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.57) were inversely associated with WSSID always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Recent entry into sex work (aOR 2.99; 95% CI: 1.30, 6.87) was positively associated with always asking new clients about their HIV/STI status. Enhancing HIV/STI communication in combination with engagement in other risk mitigation strategies may decrease disease incidence among WSSID.

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