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Background: The role of business employees and community members in the HIV risk environment of female sex workers (FSW) is underexplored, despite sex work often located in commercial and residential urban areas. We explored the effect of negative interactions between business employees and community members on inconsistent condom use with clients of female sex workers.Methods: This study uses baseline data from the EMERALD study, a community empowerment intervention with FSW. We recruited a sample of 361 FSW in Baltimore, Maryland using targeted sampling techniques in ten zones characterized by high rates of sex work, located throughout the city. Participants were recruited between September 2017 and January 2019 and completed a survey, HIV rapid testing, and self-administered gonorrhea and chlamydia testing. The outcome, inconsistent condom use, was defined as not reporting "always" using condoms with paying clients. Poisson regressions with robust variance were used to model the effect of business employee and/or community member interactions on inconsistent condom use.Results: Over half (54%) the sample was between 18 and 40 years old, 44% Black or another race, and experienced a range of structural vulnerabilities such as housing instability and food insecurity. Forty-four percent of the sample reported inconsistent condom use with clients. FSW reported being reported to the police weekly or daily for selling drugs (14% by employees, 17% by community), for selling sex (19% by employees, 21% by community), and experiencing weekly or daily verbal or physical threats (18% by employees, 24% by community). In multivariable models, being reported to the police for selling sex weekly or daily by community members (vs. never, aRR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.86) and business owners (vs. never, aRR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.76) increased risk of inconsistent condom use, as did monthly verbal or physical threats by community members (vs. never, aRR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.91).Conclusions: Results show that both actors play important roles in FSWs' HIV risk environment. Businesses and community members are important targets for holistic HIV prevention interventions among FSW in communities where they coexist in close proximity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has the potential to be an empowering HIV prevention tool among female sex workers (FSW), yet little is known about PrEP awareness and interest in this population. Sex workers and Police Promoting Health in Risky Environments (SAPPHIRE) is a prospective cohort study of street-based FSW in Baltimore, MD. A cross-sectional analysis explored awareness and interest in PrEP among HIV-negative FSW. Multivariable Poisson regressions modeled associations between individual, interpersonal, and structural variables and PrEP awareness and interest. Of n = 232 FSW, 66% were white, half were less than 35 years old, 59% injected drugs daily, and 66% sold sex daily. Only 21% of FSW were aware of PrEP, though 74% were interested. PrEP awareness was associated with experiencing client condom coercion [adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.28–0.90] and condomless sex with an intimate partner (aIRR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.30–0.98). PrEP interest was associated with perceiving PrEP as "very easy" to take (aIRR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.49–2.45) and moving to an unfamiliar geographic area to sell sex (aIRR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.04–1.39). Women who had a current gonorrhea or chlamydia infection were less likely to be interested in PrEP (aIRR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.59–0.95). Though PrEP awareness among FSW is low, there are FSW who are significantly more likely to express interest in PrEP and outreach efforts should target these women. Results suggest that women-controlled HIV prevention methods may be important for reducing incidence among FSW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Existing research in urban areas has documented a multitude of ways in which law enforcement may affect risks for bloodborne infectious disease acquisition among people who inject drugs (PWID), such as via syringe confiscation and engaging in practices that deter persons from accessing syringe services programs (SSPs). However, limited work has been conducted to explore how law enforcement may impact SSP implementation and operations in rural counties in the United States. This creates a significant gap in the HIV prevention literature given the volume of non-urban counties in the United States that are vulnerable to injection drug use-associated morbidity and mortality. Objective: This study explores the influence of law enforcement during processes to acquire approvals for SSP implementation and subsequent program operations in rural Kentucky counties. Methods: From August 2020 to October 2020, we conducted eighteen in-depth qualitative interviews among persons involved with SSP implementation in rural counties in Kentucky (USA). Interviews explored the factors that served as barriers and facilitators to SSP implementation and operations, including the role of law enforcement. Results: Participants described scenarios in which rural law enforcement advocated for SSP implementation; however, they also reported police opposing rural SSP implementation and engaging in adverse behaviors (e.g., targeting SSP clients) that may jeopardize the public health of PWID. Participants reported that efforts to educate rural law enforcement about SSPs were particularly impactful when they discussed how SSP implementation may prevent needlestick injuries. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that there are multiple ways in which rural SSP implementation and subsequent operations in rural Kentucky counties are affected by law enforcement. Future work is needed to explore how to expeditiously engage rural law enforcement, and communities more broadly, about SSPs, their benefits, and public health necessity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite experiencing HIV/STIs, violence, and other morbidities at higher rates than the general public, street-based female sex workers are often absent from public health research and surveillance due to the difficulty and high costs associated with engagement and retention. The current study builds on existing literature by examining barriers and facilitators of retaining a street-based cohort of cisgender female sex workers recruited in a mobile setting in Baltimore, Maryland who participated in the SAPPHIRE study. Participants completed interviews and sexual health testing at baseline, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months.Methods: Retention strategies are described and discussed in light of their benefits and challenges. Strategies included collecting several forms of participant contact information, maintaining an extensive field presence by data collectors, conducting social media outreach and public record searches, and providing cash and non-cash incentives. We also calculated raw and adjusted retention proportions at each follow-up period. Lastly, baseline sample characteristics were compared by number of completed visits across demographic, structural vulnerabilities, work environment, and substance use variables using F-tests and Pearson's chi-square tests.Results: Although there were drawbacks to each retention strategy, each method was useful in tandem in achieving a successful follow-up rate. While direct forms of contact such as phone calls, social media outreach, and email were useful for retaining more stable participants, less stable participants required extensive field-based efforts such as home and site visits that increase the likelihood of random encounters. Overall, adjusted retention exceeded 70% for the duration of the 12-month study. Participants who were younger, recently experienced homelessness, and injected drugs daily were less likely to have completed all or most follow-up visits.Conclusion: Retention of street-based female sex workers required the simultaneous use of diverse retention strategies that were tailored to participant characteristics. With familiarity of the dynamic nature of the study population characteristics, resources can be appropriately allocated to strategies most likely to result in successful retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To determine the interpersonal and structural factors associated with receptive syringe sharing (RSS) among female sex workers who inject drugs (FSW‐IDU), a group at high risk of HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) acquisition. Design Sex workers And Police Promoting Health In Risky Environments (SAPPHIRE) study, a prospective cohort study. Setting: Baltimore, MD, USA Participants: One hundred and eighty FSW‐IDU; mean age = 33 years, 77.1% white and 62.9% in a relationship/married. Measurements Surveys were conducted between April 2016 and February 2018. The main outcome was recent RSS (past 3 months). In addition to socio‐demographic characteristics and drug use behaviors, we assessed factors at the interpersonal level, including injection practices, intimate partner and client drug use and exposure to violence. Structural‐level factors included methods of syringe access. Findings Nearly all FSW‐IDU used heroin (97.1%) or crack cocaine (89.7%). Recent RSS was reported by 18.3%. Syringes were accessed from needle exchange programs (64.6%), pharmacies (29.7%), street sellers (30.3%) or personal networks (29.1%). Some FSW‐IDU had clients or intimate partners who injected drugs (26.3 and 26.9%, respectively). Longitudinal factors independently associated with RSS in the multi‐level mixed‐effects model were recent client violence [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09–4.33], having an intimate partner who injected drugs (aOR = 2.18, 95% CI = 0.98–4.85), being injected by others (aOR = 4.95, 95% CI = 2.42–10.10) and obtaining syringes from a street seller (aOR = 1.88, 95% CI = 0.94–3.78) or from a member of their personal network (aOR = 4.43, 95% CI = 2.21–8.90). Conclusions: Client violence, intimate partner injection drug use, being injected by others and obtaining syringes from personal connections appear to increase parenteral HIV/HCV risk among female sex workers who inject drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]