Use of the female condom among sex workers in China

OBJECTIVES: To introduce the female condom (FC) among sex workers (SWs) in China. METHODS: We adopted the intervention study method. The 315 participating SWs were randomly assigned to an intervention group (155 SWs) or a control group (160 SWs). RESULTS: The rate of SWs who reported liking FC increased from 60.0% pre-intervention to 93.5% post-intervention, and the rate of SWs who considered that their clients could accept FC increased from 27.1% to 92.3%. After the intervention, 93.5% expressed that their sexual satisfaction had increased with their familiarity with FC and 97.4% expressed that they would use it in the future. CONCLUSIONS: The understanding and use of FC can be greatly improved through active intervention-i.e. medical workers providing SWs with FC.