The Effect Of Health Belief On Condom Use Behavior Among Female Sex Workers In Low-grade Areas

ObjectiveThis study investigated HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, condom use-related cognition and behavior of female sex workers in low-grade areas (FSWs) to understand FSWs AIDS related knowledge, condom use-related cognitive and behavioral status, and look for the main factor affecting condom use of sex workers on the theoretical basis of Health Belief Model(HBM). It provided information to targeted interventions.MethodsUsed HBM to design questionnaire, took one on one anonymous survey on convenience sample of female sex workers in low-grade areas, used descriptive analysis to describe the demographic characteristics, AIDS knowledge, knowledge and behaviors of condom use. Used Structural Equation Modeling(SEM) to analyze the relationship between the domains of Health Belief Model, as well as the relationship between Health Belief Model and condom use quantitatively. The final model was presented by the paths. So we could identify the main factor which affected sex workers HIV/AIDS prevention and condom use in the model.ResultsThe average age of subjects was 25.32±6.92, 53.05% of the people were in the 20-30 age group; junior high school education-based people accounted for 57.30% of all; most people (66.02%) had regular sexual partners; AIDS prevention related knowledge, accuracy of single questions was higher, rates of the majority were at 50% or more, but the rate of people who answered all questions correctly was only 3.86%; in the past month,74.93% of sexual workers used condoms every time when they had sex with guests; structural equation model showed that the total effect of Perceived Susceptibility, Perceived Severity, Perceived Benefits, Perceived Barriers, Self-efficacy to condom use behavior are: 0.58, 0.38, 0.18, 0.14, 0.10. Perceived Barriers had the most influence, and self-efficacy had the least on condom use.ConclusionsIn this study, through quantitative research of AIDS-related knowledge, cognitive and behavior of condom use among sex workers in low-grade areas based on the Health Belief Model, we found that AIDS-awareness work remained to be strengthened; Perceived Barriers was the most important factor affecting the female sex workers condom use. The future intervention Key was improving their Perceived Barriers. When their Perceived Barriers was higher, they would take more fully prepared, then they would face smaller obstacles, and they would overcome obstacles more easily.Innovation(1) Application the Health Belief Model to explain infection factors of sex workers condom use, we found that Perceived Barriers was the most important factor;(2) We used structural equation modeling to analyze the collected data which was based on the Health Belief Model. So we could consider the health belief model overall, and present the various relationships between health beliefs and condom use behavior or among health belief models.