[Social characteristics and risk behaviors for HIV in a group of transvestites and male transsexuals engaging in street prostitution].
OBJECTIVE
To describe life and work conditions, practices associated with HIV transmission, self-informed HIV status and HIV test coverage in a group of male transgender street prostitutes.


METHODS
Case descriptive study of male transgender street prostitutes who attended a mobile unit of a harm reduction programme in 1998 in Madrid, Spain Information on sociodemographic characteristics, work conditions, illegal drug use, sexual behaviours and self-informed HIV status was collected.


RESULTS
132 male transgenders were interviewed, of which 56% were Spanish. Median age was 30 years. 50% had primary school education or less. 11% had injected drugs sometime in their lives. Median time in prostitution was 8 years and 66% had worked only in the streets. In the last month, all of them said to use condoms in insertive anal sex with clients, 98% in receptive sex and 49% always used it with their partners in the previous year. 39% referred accidents with condoms within the previous month. 73% had had an HIV test, of which 22% said to be HIV positive (16% in those who had never injected drugs and 58% in the ones who had).


CONCLUSIONS
HIV seroprevalence in male transgender street prostitutes is high, even in non-intravenous drug users. They nearly always use condoms with clients but have a high level of accidents. HIV prevention programmes in prostitution should be more specifically adapted to the different groups of commercial sex workers.
Belza
M J
MJ
Secretaría del Plan Nacional Sobre el Sida, C/Bravo Murillo, 4, 28015 Madrid. mbelza@msc.es
Llácer
A
A
Mora
R
R
de la Fuente
L
L
Castilla
J
J
Noguer
I
I
Cañellas
S
S
D000328:Adult; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011477:Sex Work; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology; D014189:Transsexualism / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014190:Transvestism / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*