Evaluation of a safe-sex intervention programme among sex workers in Singapore

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a brief intervention programme on STD knowledge, condom use and gonorrhoea incidence among sex workers in Singapore. A controlled before-and-after study design with non-random assignment of sex workers was used, supplemented by multivariate analysis to adjust for baseline differences. Control (n = 221, denoted C1) and experimental (n = 221, denoted E1) groups were interviewed on 2 occasions 3 months apart. Two supplementary groups were interviewed once each at the end of the 3-month period (n = 145 who had received the intervention and n = 151 who had not). Basic knowledge of STD symptoms and HIV transmission was high in all groups. There were misconceptions about casual transmission of HIV which improved dramatically at the second interview for group E1 (from 37-56% correct responses to 82-90%). Overall condom use was high (about 75%) and did not change after the intervention. Gonorrhoea rates were correspondingly low (0.4 episodes/worker/year) and also did not change. This brief intervention improved the STD knowledge of sex workers. However, behaviour as measured by reported condom use and gonorrhoea incidence did not change. Implications for future intervention programmes are discussed.