Metrics details. Sex work has shifted from brothels to entertainment establishments EEs in Asia. Men who patronise EEs could act as a bridging population for human immunodeficiency virus HIV and sexually transmitted infection STI transmission through unprotected sex with the female EE workers to their spouses and regular partners. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence and factors associated with risky sexual behaviours among the heterosexual men who patronised the EEs and brothels in Singapore.
This was a cross-sectional survey involving heterosexual men recruited from brothels and from EEs. A 2-stage sampling involving proportional stratified random sampling of the brothels and EEs, followed by time location sampling of the men, was conducted. For multivariable analysis, we used a mixed effects logistic model with backward elimination to account for clustering by venue and to obtain the adjusted odds ratio aOR for the association of various factors with consistent condom use in vaginal and oral sex respectively.
Men who patronised EEs were younger, more likely to be single, more highly-educated and comprised more professionals compared to the brothel group. On multivariable analysis, consistent condom use for vaginal sex decreased at the EE setting aOR 0.
For consistent condom use with oral sex, this decreased at the EE setting aOR 0. Men who patronised EEs practised risker sexual behaviours compared to the brothel group. Peer Review reports. In , 3. In addition, the highest global burden of curable sexually transmitted infections STIs is also in this region [ 2 ].
In recent years, casual sex has become more common in Asia, contributing to another important mode of transmission apart from male patronage of female sex workers [ 3 β 5 ].
