Sex work and its associations with alcohol and methamphetamine use among female bar and spa workers in the Philippines
Lianne A Urada, Steffanie A Strathdee, Donald E Morisky, Robert F Schilling, Nymia P Simbulan, Leonardo R Estacio Jr, Anita Raj, Lianne A Urada, Steffanie A Strathdee, Donald E Morisky, Robert F Schilling, Nymia P Simbulan, Leonardo R Estacio Jr, Anita Raj
Abstract
To assess the prevalence of sex work and its associations with substance use among female bar/spa workers in the Philippines (N = 498), workers from 54 bar or spa venues in Metro Manila (2009-2010) were surveyed on demographics, drug/alcohol use, abuse history, and sex work. Their median age was 23 years and 35% engaged in sex work. Sex work was independently associated with methamphetamine use (19% vs 4%; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =2.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3-6.2), alcohol use with patrons (49% vs. 27%; AOR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.1-3.4), and alcohol intoxication during sex (50% vs. 24%; AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.2-3.5), but inversely associated with daily alcohol use (13% vs. 16%; AOR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.1-0.5). Additional significant covariates included sexual abuse history, younger age, and not having a higher education. Findings suggest that interventions with sex workers in bars and spas should focus on methamphetamine use, alcohol use contexts, and violence victimization, to better meet the needs of this population.
Keywords: Philippines; alcohol use; female sex workers; methamphetamine use; substance use; violence.
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Source: PubMed