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Dangerous Subtlety: Relationship-Related Determinants of Consistency of Condom Use Among Female Sex Workers and Their Regular, Non-Commercial Partners in Hai Phong, Viet Nam

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Abstract

Research indicates female sex workers use condoms more consistently with their clients than with regular, non-commercial partners (partners). The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between couple communication and HIV risk behavior by examining (1) sex worker-partner divergence on communication measures and (2) the association between intra-couple communication divergence and consistent condom use. In this cross-sectional study, 50 sex workers and their partners in Hai Phong, Viet Nam were separately asked about their relationships and condom use. When asked about HIV risk communication in their relationship, sex workers reported significantly higher HIV communication content than their partners (p < 0.001). Higher communication divergence between partners was associated with a decreased likelihood of consistent condom use (OR 0.54 95% CI 0.30, 0.97). Sex workers urgently need interventions that build their communication skills and address their risk behavior in non-commercial relationships.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted with the kind financial support by the Downs Fellowship, Yale School of Medicine, and Yale School of Public Health. The authors would like to thank Mr. Tran Duc Tien and Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung, who interviewed the couples and added insight to the analysis and Vu Ngoc Khanh, who advised on the study design. Conducting this research in Hai Phong was made possible with the guidance of Yasmin Madan and the staff of Population Services International in Vietnam; Vu Cong Nguyen, Deputy Director of the Institute of Population, Health and Development; Dr. Daniel Zelterman of the Yale School of Public Health, and Mr. Tran Quang Vinh of the Hai Phong Province Department of Health.

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Correspondence to Leah Hoffman.

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Hoffman, L., Nguyen, H.T.T., Kershaw, T.S. et al. Dangerous Subtlety: Relationship-Related Determinants of Consistency of Condom Use Among Female Sex Workers and Their Regular, Non-Commercial Partners in Hai Phong, Viet Nam. AIDS Behav 15, 1372–1380 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-010-9819-4

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