Summaryobjectives To compare the sexual behaviour of female sex workers in urban and rural areas in Nyanza province in Kenya, and to compare their unsafe sex with clients and with regular partners.methods In a cross-sectional study among 64 sex workers (32/32 in urban/rural areas), sex workers kept a sexual diary for 14 days after being interviewed face-to-face.results Most sex workers were separated/divorced and had one or two regular partners, who were mostly married to someone else. Sex workers in Kisumu town were younger, had started sex work at an earlier age, and had more clients in the past 14 days than rural women (6.6 vs. 2.4). Both groups had an equal number of sex contacts with regular partners (4.7). With clients, condom use was fairly frequent (75%) but with regular partners, it was rather infrequent (<40%). For both urban and rural areas, the mean number of sex acts in which no condom was used was greater for regular partners (3.2 and 2.8 respectively) than for clients (1.9 and 1.0 respectively).conclusions Sex workers in urban and rural areas of Nyanza province practise more unsafe sex with regular partners than with clients. Interventions for sex workers should also focus on condom use in regular partnerships.
In Nyanza Province, Kenya, HIV incidence is highest (26.2%) in the beach communities along Lake Victoria. Prior research documented high mobility and HIV risks among fishermen; mobility patterns and HIV risks faced by women in fishing communities are less well researched. This study aimed to characterize forms of mobility among women in the fish trade in Nyanza; describe the spatial and social features of beaches; and assess characteristics of the "sex-for-fish" economy and its implications for HIV prevention. We used qualitative methods, including participant observation in 6 beach villages and other key destinations in the Kisumu area of Nyanza that attract female migrants, and we recruited individuals for in-depth semi-structured interviews at those destinations. We interviewed 40 women, of whom 18 were fish traders, and 15 men, of whom 7 were fishermen. Data were analyzed using Atlas.ti software. We found that female fish traders are often migrants to beaches; they are also highly mobile. They are at high risk of HIV acquisition and transmission via their exchange of sex for fish with jaboya fishermen.
Over the last two decades, capacity-building in health research has been recognized as a priority by the international research community. Since 1987 the Joint Health Systems Research (HSR) Project for the Southern African Region has been making efforts to increase the national expertise for operational health research, starting in ten Southern African countries, in order to strengthen decision-making in health care at all levels. Initially, its targets were health managers and public health staff. Step-by-step, staff of different levels and disciplines have, in small groups, developed and implemented research protocols on problems experienced in their own working environment. The recommendations resulting from over 200 studies could, to a large extent, be implemented by the teams themselves. The Project was characterized by a flexible approach, allowing countries to participate at their own speed and to determine their own activities and the support they needed. As Ministries of Health as well as research institutions, in an increasing number of Southern and Eastern African countries, choose to actively participate in HSR, this has contributed to bridge the gap between the academic world and the health field. Still, sustainability of HSR activities remains a challenge. This paper describes the approach of the Joint HSR Project over the first 10 years of its operation, and its major strengths and limitations.
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