Third-world realities in a first-world setting: A study of the HIV/AIDS-related conditions and risk behaviors of sex trade workers in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic and socio-economic status of STW in Saskatoon.

	N = 340 Percentage
Gender
Male	30.1
Female	69.9
Age
18–29	30.1
30–39	36.3
40–69	33.6
Marital status
Never married	57.4
Married	4.4
Common law	24.4
Separated, divorced, widowed, or other	13.8
Cultural status
Caucasian	9.4
Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis or Inuit)	89.7
Other	0.9
Highest level of school completed
Eight grade or less	18.5
Grade 9-12 but no high school graduation	60.0
Completed high school	13.4
Trade or technical training	4.2
College certificate	3.9
University degree	0.0
Homeless
Yes	40.2
No	59.8
If housed, where are they living now?
Own home or apartment	40.2
Someone else’s home or apartment	41.4
Shelter	7.1
Other	11.3
Employment
Unemployed	44.9
Working full-time	2.1
Working part-time	4.5
Disabled, not able to work	29.9
Other	18.6
Sources of income
Paid job or salary	6.6
Social security or disability	41.5
Sell or trade goods, barter	6.6
Other	45.3
Annual household income
$0–$9999	75.8
$10,000–$19,999	17.0
$20,000–$29,999	3.5
$30,000–$39,999	2.8
More than $40,000	0.9

Table 2. Significant life events of STW in Saskatoon.

Experienced:	N = 340 Percentage
Physical assault or abuse in their adult life by their partner	76.1
Physical assault or abuse in their adult life by someone other than their partner	74.7
Physical assault or abuse as a child	76.2
Seeing people hitting or harming one another in their family while growing up	86.8
Sexual assault in their adult life	57.9
Sexual assault as a child	69.1
Seeing someone physically assaulted or abused	86.7
Seeing someone seriously injured or violently killed	67.7
Losing a child through death	34.8
Death or permanent separation from a parent or someone who was like a parent before 18 years of age	56.8
Death of a spouse, partner, or loved one as an adult	62.2
Attended a Residential School	37.0
Had a parent or grandparent who attended Residential School	70.8

Table 3. Self-reported problems, knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, self-efficacy, and barriers.

	N = 340 Percentage
Problem
Is HIV a problem in your community, yes	91.6
Why? Substance/drug abuse	62.9
Unprotected sex	46.8
Lack of knowledge	32.1
Lack of perceived risk	21.2
Knowledge
(Only scores with greater than 10% wrong answers listed)	Percentage wrong
Most people who develop AIDS eventually recover	12.9
You can’t get HIV if you only have one partner	17.6
People get other diseases because of AIDS	41.8
Using condoms will lessen the chance of getting AIDS	15.5
It is safe to have intercourse without a condom with a person who shoots drugs as long as you do not shoot drugs.	10.0
The virus from AIDS can be passed by an infected person even though the infected person isn’t visibly sick	19.1
Using drugs/alcohol makes it more likely that you will have unsafe sex	22.1
Coughing and sneezing spread HIV	32.4
A woman can get HIV if she has anal sex with a man	16.6
All pregnant women with HIV will have babies born with HIV	39.4
People infected with HIV quickly show serious signs of being infected	21.0
There is a vaccine that stops adults from getting HIV	16.5
A woman cannot get HIV if she has sex during her period	16.4
Having sex with more than one partner increases the chances of being infected with HIV	13.1
A person can get HIV from oral sex	23.0
Attitudes	Percentage
I am tired of always having to make sure I practice safe sex
Somewhat agree or strongly agree	32.7
It’s too much of a hassle to practice safe sex all of the time
Somewhat agree or strongly agree	21.4
I find it hard to practice safe sex all of the time
Somewhat agree or strongly agree	22.5
I am tired of always having to make sure not to share needles with others
Somewhat agree or strongly agree	29.1
It’s too much of a hassle to use clean needles all the time when I inject
Somewhat agree or strongly agree	19.2
I find it hard to use clean needles all the time when I inject
Somewhat agree or strongly agree	22.5
Behaviors	Mean (SD)
In the past month, number of times had vaginal, oral or anal sex	8.10 (9.63)
In the past month, number of people had vaginal, oral or anal sex with	2.60 (5.14)
In the past month, number of times injected with drugs	3.70 (6.14)
	Percentage
Have injected a drug in the past four weeks, yes	71.5
Of those who injected, how often have you shared injecting equipment?
Sometimes or frequently	65.5
Self-Efficacy
I can tell a sex partner that I do not want to inject drugs
Greater than 50% chance	54.9
I can resist injecting if a sex partner offers to inject me
Greater than 50% chance	46.6
I can talk about safe sex with a partner
Greater than 50% chance	60.8
I can refuse to have sex with someone
Greater than 50% chance	62.4
I can convince a sex partner to use a condom
Greater than 50% chance	70.6
I can prevent a partner from having anal sex with me
Greater than 50% chance	68.9
I can ask a sex partner about their previous sexual partners
Greater than 50% chance	63.0
Medical	Percentage
Depressed mood (measured by CES-D)	85.6
Previously diagnosed by a doctor or nurse with:
Hepatitis B	46.5
Gonorrhoea	42.3
Syphillis	27.1
Genital warts	30.1
Chlamydia	53.8
Herpes	24.5
Previously tested for HIV/AIDS, yes	90.3
Barriers	Percentage
Which of the following are problems:
Long distance to medical facilities and personnel
Somewhat/ major problem	38.8
Medical personnel who decline to provide direct care
Somewhat/ major problem	31.5
Lack of healthcare practitioners who are adequately trained
Somewhat/ major problem	38.5
Lack of mental health counselors who can address mental health
Somewhat/ major problem	38.5
Lack of psychological support
Somewhat/ major problem	46.2
Community stigma towards persons living with HIV/AIDS
Somewhat/ major problem	61.9
Lack of employment opportunities
Somewhat/ major problem	66.1
Lack of financial resources
Somewhat/major problem	60.6
Lack of adequate and affordable housing
Somewhat/ major problem	73.0
Unable to get into a drug treatment or detox program, Yes	42.6

Table 4. Independent risk indicators of self-reporting chance of getting HIV/AIDS as greater than 50%.

Independent variables	OR	95% Confidence interval	P-value
Sexual assault as a child, yes	2.04	1.11–3.73	.021
Injected drug in past four weeks, yes	1.41	1.06–1.68	.040
Consider self to be homeless, yes	1.29	1.09–1.59	.039
Diagnosed with Chlamydia in past, yes	1.26	1.08–1.47	.003
Reference categories:
No sexual assault as a child
Did not inject drug in past four weeks
Does not consider self to be homeless
Has not been diagnosed by doctor or nurse in past for Chlamydia
Hosmer–Lemeshow test = .246
Nagelkerke R Squared = .109