Predictors of visits to commercial sex workers by male attendees at sexually transmitted disease clinics in southern Vietnam.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the HIV/sexually transmitted disease (STD) status of male patients at STD clinics and factors associated with frequent visits to commercial sex workers (CSW) in southern Vietnam.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Confidential interviews and physical and laboratory evaluation of 804 male patients at STD clinics in two semi-rural provinces in the Mekong delta.


RESULTS
HIV seroprevalence was 0.5%. The prevalence of urethritis syndrome was 19.3%, gonorrhea 10.2% (Gram-stain positive) and syphilis 2% (reactive rapid plasma reagin test). All the men had visited CSW in the past and 58% had their first sexual experience with a CSW; 73% had visited a CSW in the last 3 years. Married men were equally as likely as single men to have casual partners or to have visited a CSW. The men recruited CSW more from the streets (45%) than from brothels (38%). Factors independently associated with visiting a CSW in the last 3 years included being single [odds ratio (OR), 2.2], age under 20 years (OR, 1.9), having first sexual intercourse with a CSW (OR, 2.1), not having a current girlfriend (OR, 2.1), using alcohol before sex (OR, 2.7) and drug use (OR, 1.8). Only 7% of men used condoms consistently; 70% had never used them. Only 37% had used a condom last time they had intercourse with a CSW.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevention programs for men in Vietnam, particularly those who are young or single, need to focus on reducing drug and alcohol consumption and improving condom use with CSWs.
Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
N T
NT
Thuy
C P
CP
Lindan
T H
TH
Phong
Van Dat
V T
VT
Nhung
J
J
Barclay
H B
HB
Khiem
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011477:Sex Work; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014744:Vietnam / Q000453:epidemiology