HIV/AIDS in mid-sized cities in Senegal: From individual to place-based vulnerability

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Social Sciences

Background:

• Senegal's HIV epidemic is increasingly driven by concurrent sexual partners.
• Emerging trends require information on unstudied populations and their behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess local dynamics of sexual behaviors in popular socializing venues.
• Examine how specific venues influence HIV transmission risks.

Main Methods:

• Utilized PLACE methodology in 2013, collecting data at 314 venues across 10 Senegalese cities.
• Conducted 2600 interviews at the 96 most popular venues identified by community informants.
• Included commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), and general populations socializing at these venues.

Main Results:

• A significant portion of the sample reported transactional sex; the majority engaged in high-risk behaviors.
• Nearly a quarter of interviewed patrons were young people aged 15-24 years.
• Identified specific HIV vulnerability hotspots in Thies, Bignona, and Saly, not apparent from aggregate data.

Conclusions:

• Found links between risky behaviors, venue type, and city, highlighting venue-based HIV risks.
• Findings offer complementary insights into HIV vulnerability in Senegal.
• Supports the need for targeted, venue-based HIV prevention interventions.