Sex workers, condoms, and mobility among men in Uzbekistan: implications for HIV transmission.

Uzbekistan has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world. In this study, men who reported mobility were compared to non-mobile men in regard to paying for sex and condom use during paid sex. The sample included 2333 men between the ages of 15 and 59 in Uzbekistan. Generalised linear models were used to assess the relationship between mobility, paid sex, and condom use while adjusting for possible confounders. Of the total sample, 103 (4.4%) reported engaging in paid sex and 43 (42%) reported using condoms while engaging in paid sex. Mobile men were found to have more than three times the odds of paid sex than non-mobile men (OR: 3.209; 95% CI: 2.481, 4.150; p < 0.001). Mobile men were not significantly different from non-mobile men in terms of condom use; however, unmarried men were found to have six times the odds of not using a condom when compared to married men during paid sex (OR: 6.411; 95% CI: 2.502, 16.425; p = 0.004). Only one of the men who reported paid sex also reported using a condom with their spouses at last intercourse. The findings contribute to understanding mobility and HIV risk, and have important implications for HIV prevention interventions.