Investigation on AIDS knowledge and behaviors among commercial sex workers in Anhui province

Objective To identify the levels of AIDS knowledge and behaviors among commercial sex workers(CSWs)in project areas in Anhui to evaluate the impact of AIDS project and assess the needs for future activities.Methods A structured questionnaire was anonymously administered face-to-face to reachable CSWs in the eight project counties.Results Among 360 CSWs,the proportion of knowing AIDS basic facts was 90.17%.The proportions of knowing HIV transmission routes and non-transmission routes was 93% and 72.4% respectively(χ²=53.38,P<0.001).The rate of condom use during the last sexual intercourse was 84.4%,the rate of consistent use was 73.5% for the last three intercourses.The proportion of knowing voluntary counseling and test(VCT)was 86.1% and the rate of using VCT was 50.7%.The rate of knowing voluntary blood donation was 56.3%.The level of AIDS knowledge and condom use rate were higher than the project baseline.Conclusion The rates of AIDS awareness and condom use were higher than the project baseline,and the rates of knowing voluntary blood donation and VCT utilization were low.Health education and behavior intervention will be strengthened to raise awareness of AIDS and VCT,and the rate of condom use among CSWs in project areas in Anhui.