The Socio-Ecological Model Approach to Understanding Barriers and Facilitators to the Accessing of Health Services by Sex Workers: A Systematic Review

• Published in: AIDS and behavior Vol. 21; no. 8; pp. 2412 - 2438
• Main Authors: Ma, Polly H. X., Chan, Zenobia C. Y., Loke, Alice Yuen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.08.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Accessibility; Barriers; Constraints; Ecological models; Environmental aspects; Evidence-based medicine; Health behavior; Health care; Health care access; Health care policy; Health Policy; Health Psychology; Health Services Accessibility; Health services utilization; Help seeking behavior; HIV; HIV Infections; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Inequality; Infectious Diseases; Medical personnel; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Prostitution; Public Health; Quality of care; Quality of Health Care; Reviews; Sex; Sex industry; Sex Workers; Social interactions; Social Stigma; Social Support; Substantive Review; Systematic review; Facilitators; Socio-ecological model; Accessing of health services; Barriers; Sex worker
• ISSN: 1090-7165; 1573-3254
• DOI: 10.1007/s10461-017-1818-2

Inequities in accessing health care persist among sex workers. The purpose of the review is to understand the health-seeking behaviours of sex workers and their access to health care services with socio-ecological model. Of 3852 citations screened, 30 met the inclusion criteria for this review. The access that sex workers have to health services is a complex issue. A wide range of barriers and facilitators at multiple levels could influence sex workers’ utilization of health care services, such as health or service information, stigma, social support, quality of health care, available, accessible and affordable services, healthcare policy. Health services or future intervention studies should take into account the facilitators and barriers identified in this review to improve the health services utilization and health of sex workers, as part of the effort to protect the right of humans to health.