Abstract:

Objective    To discuss the health seeking behavior and its influencing factors among female sex workers in Jinan. Methods    432 female sex workers were recruited by respondent-driven sampling and personally interviewed. Health seeking behavior characteristics ［in order to treat sexually transmitted diseases(STD), whether to choose STD out-patient service in approved hospitals］ and its influencing factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate unconditional logistic regressions. Results    77.8% of the female sex workers chose STD out-patient service in approved hospitals. Awareness of AIDS, risk consciousness of AIDS, marital status, and working years were primary influencing factors of the health seeking behavior. Conclusion    The STD infection rate is high and the health seeking behavior is relatively irregular in female sex workers. In AIDS control and prevention, publicity and education for AIDS and STD should be strengthened among them, especially among those who are married, and who have engaged in this job for a rather  long time.

Key words: Female sex workers; Health seeking behavior; Influence factors; Logistic regression analysis