Factors associated with knowledge and use of HIV prevention strategies among female sex workers in 12 Brazilian cities

Abstract

This article aims to Identify factors associated with knowledge and use of combined HIV prevention strategies among female sex workers (FSW). Cross-sectional epidemiological study, using the Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) method. Descriptive analyzes were performed after adjustments required by the RDS method. To investigate factors associated with knowledge of PEP and PrEP and use of the female condom, Poisson regression was applied, using odds ratio as an association measure. FSW not affiliated with NGOs, who did not receive informational material on prevention and / or participated in lectures in the last six months and who do not identify themselves as FSW in healthcare service facilities  have less knowledge about PEP and PrEP and use the female condom less frequently. In general, FSW do not have sufficient knowledge and access to combined HIV prevention methods to take advantage of their benefits. We believe that the adoption of different models of care for FSW in partnership with NGOs can be an effective strategy for expanding knowledge and use of HIV prevention methods in Brazil.