Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to: Eileen V. Female sex workers FSWs continue to represent a high-risk population in need of targeted HIV prevention interventions. Targeting environmental risk factors should result in more sustainable behavior change than individual-level interventions alone.
There are many types of FSWs who operate in and through a variety of micro- e. We conducted a systematic search and qualitatively reviewed 37 published studies on venue-based FSWs to examine the appropriateness of sex work typologies, and the extent to which this research has systematically examined characteristics of different risk environments.
The factors that were assessed were largely individual-level FSW factors e. Women who engage in sex work are considered a high risk group for transmitting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections STIs.
Estimates of the proportions of female sex workers FSWs among women in different regions around the world range from 0. Not only do female sex workers frequently engage in high risk sexual behavior, they are exposed to multiple harms [ 3 ] including illicit drug use [ 4 , 5 ], violence [ 6 , 7 ], stigma and discrimination [ 8 , 9 ], and exploitation [ 10 ].
Thus, comprehensive social interventions must continue to focus on the multiple needs of this vulnerable population. While risk reduction interventions targeted at FSWs have focused on individual-level factors [ 11 , 12 ], more recently efforts have been made to address the social and environmental factors that may influence HIV risk [ 13 β 19 ]. Women who sell sex work in a variety of environments. They solicit sex from different venues e. In recent years, prevention scientists have demonstrated the effectiveness of targeting structural factors, or factors exogenous to the individual, in HIV risk reduction interventions [ 13 , 14 , 18 ].
