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Table 2 Socio-demographic, sex work, behavioural and sexual health characteristics of adolescent female sex workers, stratified by illicit drug use and polysubstance use in the past year (N = 310)

From: Sexual and reproductive health correlates of polysubstance use among female adolescents who sell sex in the southwest of China

Characteristics

Abstain

(N = 283; 91%)

n (%)

illicit drug use

(N = 27; 9%)

n (%)

Abstain

(N = 51; 16%)

n (%)

Polysubstance use

(N = 259; 84%)

n (%)

Socio-demographic variables

 Age, median years (IQR)a

19(18–19)

19(17–19)

19(18–19)

19(18–19)

 Education level

   

**

  Illiterate or primary school only

81(29)

8(30)

32(63)

57(22)

  Middle school (Grade 7–9)

150(53)

16(59)

14(27)

152(59)

  High school or higher (Grade 10–12)

52(18)

3(11)

5(10)

50(19)

 Current marital status

  Never married or single

134(48)

11(41)

20(39)

125(48)

  Married or cohabiting

149(52)

16(59)

31(61)

134(52)

 Place of birth

  local

49(17)

4(15)

8(16)

45(17)

  Elsewhere

234(83)

23(85)

43(84)

214(83)

Sex work variables

 Median weekly number of male clients (PM) (IQR)a

2(1–3)

2(2–4)

2(1–3)

2(1–3)

 Duration in sex work

  ≤ half year

176(62)

15(56)

32(63)

159(61)

  > half year

107(38)

12(44)

19(37)

100(39)

 Average monthly income from sex workcd

 

*

 

**

  ≤ 360 EUR (low level)

92(33)

3(11)

28(55)

67(26)

  > 360EUR (Middle to high level)

189(67)

24(89)

23(45)

190(74)

Sexual behavioural variables

 Age at sex debut, median years (IQR)a

17(16–18)

16(16–17)

16(15–18)

17(16–18)

 Coerced for forced sex at sex debut

55(19)

15(56)**

15(29)

55(21)

 Median number of intimate male partner (PY) (IQR)a

1(1–2)

2(1–2)

1(1–2)

1(1–2)

 Had any intimate male partner with illicit drug use

44(16)

15(56)**

1(2)

58(22)**

 Had sex without a condom while drunk (PM)

86(30)

11(41)

7(14)

90(35)*

 Experienced sexual and gender-based violence (PY)

99(35)

19(70)**

6(12)

112(43)**

 Inconsistent condom use with any male partners (PM)

200(71)

24(89)*

30(59)

194(75)*

 Unmet need for modern contraception

97(34)

13(48)

8(16)

102(39) **

 Utilization of health service for any STIs treatmente

 

**

  

  Safe medical care

186(69)

7(27)

34(71)

159(64)

  Unsafe medical care

86(31)

19(73)

14(29)

91(36)

 Received HIV testing (PY)f

128(45)

12(44)

31(62)

109(42) *

Sexual health variables

 Prior abortion

12(23)

17(63)*

11(22)

125(48) **

 Any self-reported symptom of STIs (PY)

22(42)

23(85)*

21(41)

184(71) **

  1. p-value using Pearson’s Chi-squared tests, unless otherwise indicated: a Wilcoxon rank sum test, b Fisher’s exact test
  2. IQR interquartile range, PY past year, PM past month
  3. *p-value ≤0.05; ** p-value ≤0.001
  4. cAverage income was divided into three groups (low level, middle level and high level) according to local income level of general population in Kunming in 2012
  5. d Two responses were missing in the question of monthly income;e Twelve responses were missing in the question of STIs treatment;f One response was missing in the question of HIV testing