Table 1 Comparison of socio-demographic characteristics of men who patronised brothels and entertainment establishments
Characteristic | Brothels (N = 297) | Entertainment Establishments (N = 272) | p value* |
|---|---|---|---|
N (%) | N (%) | ||
Age (years) | |||
Mean (SD) | 44.5 (12.5) | 34.9 (10.5) | |
Median | 47.0 | 33.0 | <0.001 |
Range | 21-66 | 21-64 | |
Ethnicity | |||
Chinese | 263 (88.6) | 200 (73.5) | |
Malay | 17 (5.7) | 16 (5.9) | |
Indian | 13 (4.4) | 47 (17.3) | <0.001 |
Others | 3 (1.0) | 9 (3.3) | |
Unknown | 1 (0.3) | 0 | |
Marital Status | |||
Single | 158 (53.2) | 165 (60.7) | |
Married | 90 (30.3) | 89 (32.7) | |
Divorced | 43 (14.5) | 16 (5.9) | 0.003 |
Widowed | 1 (0.3) | 0 | |
Unknown | 5 (1.7) | 2 (0.7) | |
Housing | |||
1–3 room public housing | 151 (50.9) | 82 (30.2) | |
4–5 room public housing | 115 (38.7) | 129 (47.4) | <0.001 |
Private Property/ Condominium/ Bungalows | 28 (9.4) | 61 (22.4) | |
Unknown | 3 (1.0) | 0 | |
Education | |||
Primary or less | 113 (38.1) | 26 (9.5) | |
Secondary | 95 (32.0) | 67 (24.6) | |
Tertiarya (excludes university & post-graduate) | 61 (20.5) | 119 (43.8) | <0.001 |
University & post-graduate | 19 (6.4) | 57 (21.0) | |
Unknown | 9 (3.0) | 3 (1.1) | |
Occupation | |||
Professional, businessmen, managers | 48 (16.2) | 90 (33.1) | |
Technicians, service staff, taxi drivers | 77 (25.9) | 98 (36.0) | <0.001 |
Labourers, construction workers | 74 (24.9) | 11 (4.0) | |
Others | 98 (33.0) | 73 (26.9) |