For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Justin Burke - 213.201.1525
EMAIL:jburke@apla.org
NEW STUDY FINDS LOWER RATES OF UNPROTECTED SEX AND DRUG USE IN LA. COMMERCIAL SEX VENUES
HIV Prevention Intervention Funding Cut By County
Los Angeles, CA, March 22, 2005 -- As the Los Angeles City Council prepares to move tomorrow, March 23, on a new licensing ordinance for the city’s commercial sex venues, a study from AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) suggests that safer sex interventions previously provided at these venues may reduce risky behavior that leads to the transmission of HIV.
In the study, conducted by APLA’s Research Department over a one-year period, commercial sex venue patrons report a significantly lower rate (6 percent) of unprotected anal intercourse; lower use of crystal methamphetamine, poppers, alcohol, and Viagra®; and higher awareness, use and value of services such as HIV/STD testing and prevention services, condom availability, and sex and substance abuse counseling.
The study recruited more than 111 gay and bisexual men for base line interviews in 2003 and 123 men for follow up interviews in 2004.
“Our findings suggest that our HIV and STD prevention interventions in commercial sex venues are having a real effect, leading to changes in sexual risk-taking,” said Craig E. Thompson, APLA Executive Director. “Although these changes in patrons’ behaviors may be attributable to many factors, we know that this is a difficult to reach population that may not be exposed to prevention messages in more mainstream venues such as bars or clubs.”
The ordinance before the City Council, which was adopted by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in August, stemmed from a 2003 study suggesting that male patrons at gay commercial sex venues who were tested for HIV were infected at a rate twice that of men tested in public clinics or community-based agencies.
Concern about increased unprotected sex in gay commercial sex venues followed several CDC reports of syphilis outbreaks among gay men in several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles. These reports warned that increased rates of HIV transmission were likely to follow. The CDC has since reported that the syphilis outbreaks have not impacted HIV incidence rates among gay and bisexual men.
The ordinance creates a new class of public health licenses for the commercial sex venues and includes guidelines that mandate prevention efforts, including safer sex education, condom distribution and HIV/STD testing, at these sites.
In the APLA study, approximately 26 percent of respondents report unprotected anal sex in commercial sex venues. Most studies of gay men find rates of between 30 percent and 40 percent. Several studies of gay men’s sexual risk-taking have found that men in primary or committed relationships are more likely to engage in unprotected sex than men who are not in such relationships.
APLA Commercial Sex Venue Prevention Funding Cut
In 2002, APLA implemented a series of HIV prevention programs in several commercial sex venues in Los Angeles County, designed to both promote sexual health and reduce HIV risk behaviors among men who have sex with men.
The initiative included trainings for commercial sex venue staff and funding for a community liaison to coordinate overall prevention efforts among community organizations, commercial sex venue owners, and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. County funding for these programs was eliminated at the end of 2004.
“Over the last two years, we have worked closely with the community, the Department of Health Services and the commercial sex venue owners to develop an effective and workable ordinance and guidelines to mandate HIV prevention efforts in these venues,” Thompson said. “We are frankly shocked by these recent shortsighted cuts to such key HIV prevention activities, especially when we all agree that they are needed and our new study suggests they are effective.”
The respondents in the APLA study were recruited through venue-based sampling targeted to particular days and times. Every other patron was approached for participation.
For copies of the study or for more information, please call Justin Burke at 213-201-1525.
AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. Founded by four friends in 1982, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org.
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