Brief Non-Commercial Sexual Encounters Among Patrons of Entertainment Venues in Liuzhou, China

Abstract

Introduction Brief sexual encounters among consenting adults who patronize social venues such as karaoke bars are occurring more frequently in China, however, little is known about the characteristics of those who engage in “one-time-sex” with a non-commercial partner or the risk of sexually transmitted infection associated with a high rate of short-term non-commercial partnerships. Methods We surveyed and tested for evidence of syphilis 797 men and women at randomly selected social venues in urban Liuzhou, China and three surrounding counties. Results The proportion of respondents reporting recent non-commercial one-time-sex ranged from 14.5% of county women to 24.8% of urban men. More urban men reported one-time-sex with a noncommercial than with a commercial partner (24.8% vs. 14.2%). Approximately 5% of all respondents reported engaging in both non-commercial and commercial one-time-sex in the past year. Among men, 2.4% has a positive rapid syphilis test. Men reporting non-commercial one-time-sex were significantly more likely to have a positive rapid syphilis test than other men (7.4% vs. 0.9%). Among women, 3.7% has a positive syphilis test. A higher proportion of women reporting commercial sex had a positive test than those reporting non-commercial one-time-sex (6.0% vs 0.7%). Conclusions Recent one-time sex was common among persons socializing at entertainment venues. Venue-based HIV/STI prevention methods may be warranted among persons who do not engage in commercial sex, but frequently engage in one-time sex.

Heterosexual men who patronise entertainment establishments versus brothels in an Asian urban setting – which group practises riskier sexual behaviours?

“…The socio-demographic characteristics of men who patronised EEs in our study were similar to that of other studies [ 9 – 11 ]. In general, they were more likely to be younger, single, of higher educational level and higher socio-economic status compared to men who did not [ 9 – 11 ]. However there were also important differences in the sexual behaviour of men who patronised EEs in our study compared to the others.…”

“…The few available studies on men who patronise EEs have focused on paid sex with the female EE workers and examined vaginal or anal intercourse only [ 9 – 11 ]. Casual sex is usually not the focus in these studies, although there is reason to believe that substantial casual sex also takes place in the EEs [ 12 ].…”

Advancing the Prevention Agenda for HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections in South China: Social Science Research to Inform Effective Public Health Interventions

“…Entertainment venues such as bars, night clubs and karaoke halls, are common places for sustaining existing relationships and forming new relationships through friends and business acquaintances. The venue-based recruitment methods used in two studies [40, 41] identified high prevalence of syphilis among respondents, particularly among those reporting ever having one-time sex ( yiyeqing ). Existing venue-based HIV/STI prevention efforts, which focus primarily on commercial sex, must therefore expand to include other types of entertainment venues such as bars, dance halls, and karaoke clubs.…”

“…A number of these studies consider the environments where people meet sex partners and focus on describing how the social norms, risk of violence, availability of alcohol and drugs, and other characteristics of these environments shape HIV/STI risk [40, 41, 44]. …”

What role does transactional sex play in the HIV/STI and reproductive health risk behaviour among high-tier entertainment centre workers in China?

“…Entertainment centres are omnipresent in China and have become key sites for commercial and non-commercial sexual interactions, both among patrons and between patrons and employees (Choi et al, 2011; Zhang et al, 2014, Weir et al, 2014a; 2014b). There is considerable diversity in location and services in these centres, which range from low- or to mid-tier establishments offering massages, foot bath services or hair salon services to higher-class bars and hotels offering videos or karaoke, sauna and massages, bar and food services, and dance halls (Choi & Holroyd, 2007; Yi et al, 2010; Chen et al, 2012; Wang et al, 2012).…”