Addiction Research and Theory
Volume 15, Issue 3, 2007, Pages 321-325

Sex trade involvement is associated with elevated HIV incidence among injection drug users in Vancouver (Article)

Wood E.* , Schachar J. , Li K. , Stoltz J.-A. , Shannon K. , Miller C. , Lloyd-Smith E. , Tyndall M.W. , Kerr T.
  • a British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Canada, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Canada, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada
  • b Undergraduate Medical Education, University of Calgary, Canada
  • c British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Canada
  • d British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Canada
  • e British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Canada
  • f British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Canada
  • g British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Canada
  • h British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Canada
  • i British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Canada

Abstract

Background: Canada's prostitution laws are under scrutiny, and there has been growing debate about the optimal strategies for reducing the harms associated with prostitution. Methods: We evaluated whether sex trade involvement was associated with elevated HIV incidence in a cohort of injection drug users. HIV incidence rates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: At 48 months after enrolment, the rate of HIV was 11.7% among those who did not report baseline sex trade involvement compared to 16.7% among those who did (p = 0.049). The elevated HIV infection rate associated with sex trade involvement was also observed in a Cox model that considered sex trade involvement as a time-updated covariate (relative hazard = 1.51 [95% CI: 1.02-2.25]). Interpretation: These findings should be useful to those currently considering the optimal legal framework for addressing the community and health related harms associated with prostitution in Canada.

Author Keywords

Injection drug use Prostitution HIV Sex trade

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-34250185406&doi=10.1080%2f16066350701254258&partnerID=40&md5=b68e4eead0a4cc6d7226fab0d7fcbe8e
DOI: 10.1080/16066350701254258
ISSN: 16066359
Cited by: 22
Original Language: English