Sex work and its associations with alcohol and methamphetamine use among female bar and spa workers in the Philippines

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...

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Published inAsia-Pacific journal of public health Vol. 26; no. 2; p. 138
Main Authors Urada, Lianne A, Strathdee, Steffanie A, Morisky, Donald E, Schilling, Robert F, Simbulan, Nymia P, Estacio, Jr, Leonardo R, Raj, Anita
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published China 01.03.2014
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology
Amphetamine-Related Disorders - epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Health Resorts
Humans
Methamphetamine - administration & dosage
Middle Aged
Philippines - epidemiology
Qualitative Research
Restaurants
Sex Work - statistics & numerical data
Sex Workers - psychology
Sex Workers - statistics & numerical data
Violence - statistics & numerical data
Young Adult
substance use
methamphetamine use
alcohol use
female sex workers
Philippines
violence
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1941-2479
DOI:10.1177/1010539512471969