Characteristics of men who pay for sex: a UK sexual health clinic survey.
BACKGROUND
Populations surveys in the United Kingdom have documented a doubling in the number of men paying for sex over the decade 1990 to 2000. We report the prevalence of this behaviour in men attending a sexual health clinic, and describe their characteristics.


METHODS
Retrospective case note review.


RESULTS
Of 2665 men completing a standard health screening questionnaire, 10% (267) reported paid sex. We reviewed case notes of 258 men. The mean age was 34.7 years. The majority reported paying women, with 4.3% paying men for sex. Men reported paying for sex abroad (51%), locally (40%), or elsewhere in the United Kingdom (11%), with only 1.7% paying for sex both in the United Kingdom and abroad. The majority (66%) had paid for sex in the previous 12 months, and 27% were repeated users of prostitutes. Almost half the men (43%) paid for sex while in another relationship. Unprotected vaginal sex was more common in men who had paid for sex abroad. None of the men had HIV infection, but 20% had a sexually transmitted infection (8% chlamydia, 1.3% gonorrhoea, 7% non-gonococcal urethritis, and 1.1% syphilis)


CONCLUSIONS
Routine questions about commercial sexual contacts could allow targeted health promotion and harm minimisation for this group of men, protecting their partners-both unsuspecting and commercial.
Groom
T M
TM
The Sandyford Initiative, Glasgow G3 7NB, UK. tmgroom@doctors.org.uk
Nandwani
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004467:Economics; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011477:Sex Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data