2005/12/01 by Helen Ward · 98 citations
Social Sciences · Medicine · Health Professions · #Sex work and related issues #HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions #Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health #Medicine #Men who have sex with men #Sex work #Demography #Female sex #Male Homosexuality #Sex workers #Gynecology #Family medicine #Environmental health #Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) #Syphilis #Research methodology #Internal medicine #Population
paper · pdf · doi:10.1136/sti.2005.014985
published in Sexually Transmitted Infections 81(6), 467-471 (BMJ)
openalex publication_date 2005/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
BACKGROUND: In the United Kingdom the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and risky sexual behaviours is increasing. The role of commercial sex in this trend is poorly understood. Little is known about the men who pay for sex. We examined the epidemiology of female commercial sex contacts reported by men in 1990 and 2000. METHODS: National probability sample surveys of sexual attitudes and lifestyles (Natsal) of men aged 16-44 resident in Britain in 1990 (n = 6000) and 2000 (n = 4762). RESULTS: The proportion of men who reported paying women for sex in the previous 5 years increased from 2.0% (95% CI 1.6 to 2.5) in 1990 to 4.2% in 2000 (95% CI 3.6 to 4.9). In both surveys, paying for sex was more frequent in men aged between 25 years and 34 years, who were never or previously married, and who lived in London. There was no association with ethnicity, social class, homosexual contact, or injecting drug use. Men who paid for sex were more likely to report 10 or more sexual partners in the previous 5 years; only a minority of their lifetime sexual partners (19.3%) were commercial. They were more likely to meet partners abroad and to report previous STI. Only 15% reported having had an HIV test. CONCLUSION: The proportion of men who reported paying for heterosexual sex has increased, and these men have multiple commercial and non-commercial partners. Their higher rates of STI and low level of HIV testing suggest the need for prevention interventions for clients as well as sex workers.