Skip to main content

Table 1 Comparison between demographic and behavioural characteristics of sex workers in Johannesburg and Pretoria

From: Sexual and reproductive health outcomes among female sex workers in Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa: Recommendations for public health programmes

 

JOHANNESBURG

PRETORIA

ODDS RATIO

P value

N = 1422 N (%)

N = 408 N (%)

  

HIV positive total population

575/1364 (42.2)

211/399 (52.9)

0.6 (0.5–0.8)

<0.001

*South Africans

210/593 (35.4)

80/158 (50.6)

*Zimbabweans

286/589 (48.5)

123/229 (58.3)

*Other origin

79/181(43.6)

8/12 (66.7)

Previous STI**

630/1422 (44.3)

34/408 (8.3)

8.8 (6.0–13.0)

<0.001

Use modern contraception

187/1422 (15.1)

62/408 (15.2)

0.9 (0.6–1.2)

0.288

No child dependents

281/1401 (20.1)

61/399 (15.3)

1.4 (1.0–1.9)

0.032

Age (years)

 <25

340/1422 (23.9)

43/404 (10.6)

2.6 (1.9–3.8)

<0.001

 25–29

517/1422 (36.4)

92/404 (22.8)

1.9 (1.5–2.5)

 30–34

369/1422 (26.0)

128/404 (31.7)

0.8 (0.6–1.0)

 35+

196/1422 (13.8)

141/404 (34.9)

0.3 (0.2–0.4)

Education

 Primary

46/1414 (3.3)

61/406 (15.0)

0.2 (0.1–0.3)

<0.001

 Grade 8–10

490/1414 (34.7)

180/406 (44.3)

0.7 (0.5–0.8)

 

 Grade 11–12

808/1414 (57.1)

146/406 (36.0)

2.4 (1.9–3.0)

 

 Tertiary level

70/1414 (5.0)

19/406 (4.7)

1.1 (0.6–1.9)

 

Have a main partner

693/1422 (48.7)

221/406 (54.4)

0.8 (0.6–1.0)

0.043

>1 child lives with sex worker

163/1233 (13.2)

101/408 (24.8)

0.5 (0.3–0.6)

<0.001

≥3 dependent adults

456/1398 (32.6)

153/400 (38.3)

0.8 (0.6–1.0)

0.036

Country of birth

 South Africa

621/1422 (43.7)

234/408 (59.1)

0.6 (0.5–0.7)

<0.001

 Zimbabwe

610/1422 (42.9)

162/408 (39.7)

1.1 (0.9–1.4)

 

 Other

191/1422 (13.4)

12/408 (2.9)

5.1 (2.9–10.2)

 

Alcohol use

977/1314 (74.4)

221/390 (56.7)

2.2 (1.7–2.8)

<0.001

Marijuana use

92/1314 (7.0)

32/390 (8.2)

0.8 (0.5–1.3)

0.422

Years in sex work

 <2

 2–5

 >5

496/939 (52.8)

311/939 (33.1)

132/939 (14.1)

298/407 (73.2)

71/407 (17.4)

38/407 (9.3)

0.4 (0.3–0.5)

2.3 (1.7–3.2)

1.6 (1.1–2.4)

<0.001

Sex encounters past 7 days

 0–10

515/1311 (39.3)

41/218 (18.8)

2.8 (2.0–4.1)

<0.001

 11–20

452/1311 (34.5)

72/218 (33.0)

1.1 (0.8–1.5)

 >20

344/1311 (26.2)

105/218 (48.2)

0.4 (0.3–0.5)

Consistent condom use: main partner

201/1422 (14.1)

58/208 (27.9)

0.4 (0.3–0.6)

<0.001

Consistent condom use: clients

1289/1302 (99.0)

359/382 (94.0)

6.4 (3.0–13.8)

<0.001

Times moved house past year

 0

729/1422 (51.3)

336/408 (82.4)

0.2 (0.2–0.3)

<0.001

 1

415/1422 (29.2)

64/408 (15.7)

2.2 (1.6–3.0)

 2

278/1422 (19.6)

8/408 (2.0)

24.3 (9.3–90.3)

Site receives services

 Hotel

1129/1328 (85.0)

329/408 (80.6)

1.4 (1.0–1.8)

<0.001

 Clinic

75/1328 (5.7)

2/408 (0.5)

12.2 (3.2–102.5)

 Mobile vans

124/1328 (9.3)

77/408 (18.9)

0.4 (0.3–0.6)

  1. Numbers in brackets give the proportion of the total population. N could differ across rows because of missing data.
  2. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) and accompanying P value is provided for each sub group, compared to the rest of the group, thus, for example, the proportion working in a hotel is compared to women working in all other settings
  3. *Breakdown of positivity rate by country
  4. STI Sexually Transmitted Infection