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Dual Epidemics of Drug Use and Syphilis Among Chinese Female Sex Workers: Results of Eight Consecutive Cross-Sectional Surveys from 2006 to 2013 in Qingdao, China

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Abstract

Eight consecutive annual cross-sectional surveys were conducted to examine the trend of the prevalence of HIV, syphilis, drug use and their correlates among female sex workers (FSWs) in Qingdao, China. Among sampled FSWs over the 8 years, a higher proportion of older, married or cohabited, higher education levels and more on-call FSWs were observed in recent years. The syphilis prevalence increased significantly from 1.0 % in 2006 to 13.5 % in 2013, with illicit drug use rate ranging from 21.8 % in 2007 to 55.5 % in 2010. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that drug use, syphilis and unprotected vaginal sex predicted each other. The dual epidemics of illicit drug use and syphilis among FSWs underscore the urgency to implement a tailored intervention to curb the dual epidemics while also preventing an HIV epidemic in the context of diversified commercial sex dynamic.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by The Development of Medical Science and Technology Project of Shandong Province (#2013WS0160), and in part, by the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Shandong Province CDC, Qingdao Prefecture CDC. We are grateful to the study health staff from Health Counseling Center and Qingdao Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for their efforts in participating the research training and recruiting study participants. Special thanks to all participants for their voluntary participation, and the owners of venues, mommies for their support in the preparation and implementation of the surveys. Julia Gall kindly proofread the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institution for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention & Shandong Key Laboratory for Epidemic Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 16992 Jingshi Road, Jinan, 250014, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Meizhen Liao, Shengli Su, Ke Yan, Xiaoyan Zhu, Pengxiang Huang, Jinhai Li, Xiaorun Tao & Dianming Kang

  2. Qingdao Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao, 266033, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Zhenxia Jiang & Xijiang Zhang

  3. Health Counseling Center, Qingdao, 266033, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Ning Zhang

  4. Technical Advice and Partnerships Department, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Chemin de Blandonnet 8, Vernier, 1214, Geneva, Switzerland

    Jinkou Zhao

Authors
  1. Meizhen Liao
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  2. Shengli Su
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  3. Ke Yan
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  4. Xiaoyan Zhu
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  5. Pengxiang Huang
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  6. Jinhai Li
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  7. Zhenxia Jiang
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  8. Xijiang Zhang
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  9. Ning Zhang
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  10. Xiaorun Tao
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  11. Dianming Kang
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  12. Jinkou Zhao
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Dianming Kang or Jinkou Zhao.

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Liao, M., Su, S., Yan, K. et al. Dual Epidemics of Drug Use and Syphilis Among Chinese Female Sex Workers: Results of Eight Consecutive Cross-Sectional Surveys from 2006 to 2013 in Qingdao, China. AIDS Behav 20, 655–666 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1229-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1229-1

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