Knowledge of HIV and Condom Use Practices among Female Sex Workers in West Bengal: Revisiting 2020 Behavioral Surveillance Surveys.

BACKGROUND

Female sex workers (FSWs) constitute a significant portion of high-risk groups (HRGs) in the districts of West Bengal, as indicated by HRG size mapping exercises.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of HIV/AIDS and condom usage practices among FSWs in clusters selected from districts in West Bengal for behavioural surveillance surveys (BSS)-lite.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

BSS-lite was implemented in designated districts of West Bengal and interviews with 399 brothel and street-based FSWs from January to March 2020 were conducted utilizing computer-assisted personal interview or audio-computer assisted self-interview. Data analysis was performed using SPSS, version 17. Chi-square testing was employed to examine the association between HIV/AIDS knowledge and sociodemographic factors, service utilization, and condom usage behaviors.

RESULTS

The mean age of FSW respondents was 31 years (standard deviation 7.9) with a majority being illiterate (48.4%). Approximately 50.5% of FSWs were separated or divorced, and for 87.2% of respondents, sex work constituted their primary occupation. The percentage of comprehensive knowledge was 12.8%. There was a significant association ( P < 0.01) between condom use in the last sex act with frequency of condom use with commercial partner and condom use with regular partner.

CONCLUSION

Enhanced interventions are warranted to address the knowledge gap concerning HIV transmission and condom use practices among FSWs, particularly with respect to regular partners.