Medical Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Female Sex Workers and Their Occupational Risk Factors

Abstract

Background: The tendency for female sex workers to seek health care is highly influenced by physician attitudes and behavior. By identifying medical students' attitudes toward female sex workers and assessing their knowledge of barriers to seeking care, we can focus medical training and advocacy efforts to increase access to care and improve public health outcomes. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, medical students from various countries were invited to participate in an online survey with close-ended questions and Likert scale statements. Responses were quantified and knowledge and attitude scores were assigned based on knowledge of barriers to seeking care and agreement with positive and negative attitude statements. Results: A total of 292 medical students from 56 countries completed the survey, of whom 98.3% agreed that it will be their job to provide treatment to patients regardless of occupation. Self-identified religious students conveyed more negative attitudes toward female sex workers compared to those who did not identify themselves as religious (p<0.001). Students intending to practice in countries where prostitution is legal conveyed more positive attitudes compared to those intending to practice in countries where prostitution is illegal (p<0.001). Conclusion: Medical students largely agreed on the importance of providing care to female sex workers as a vulnerable group. In addition to addressing knowledge gaps in medical education, more localized studies are needed to understand the religious and legal influences on attitudes toward female sex workers. Such information can help focus the efforts in both medical education and communication training to achieve the desired behavioral impacts, reconciling the future generations of health care providers with the needs of female sex workers.

Grains of Sand and an Artist’s Hands

“…To the Editor, The article by Nakagawa and Akpinar-Elci on medical students' knowledge and attitudes toward female sex workers and their occupational risk factors left us with ambiguous reflections. 1 The crux of this study raises an important issue: sex work, sexual abuse toward women, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are big problems and should be widely discussed in the medical environment. It is essential to provide care to female sex workers through educating medical students and young doctors, regardless of their religious and upbringing influences.…”

Women Leading Healthy Change: A Reciprocal Learning Experience for Women in the Sex Trade and Medical Students

“…15 This stigma comes not only from the communities in which these women reside, but also from the health care providers who serve them. 6,[16][17][18][19] Such bias among health professionals highlights the importance of teaching health professions trainees about the social determinants of health in a way that is inclusive of sex workers; still, curricula addressing the social determinants of health remain inadequately researched. 20 Service learning has been presented as one strategy for teaching the social determinants of health and typically takes the form of health education initiatives targeting underserved populations.…”

A Mixed Method Study on Barriers in Reproductive Health Service Delivery for and Service Utilization by the Female Sex Workers of Bangladesh : Translating Findings to Policy Brief

“…A study conducted among 292 medical students of 56 countries through on-line surveys showed that religious minded respondents were significantly more likely to show negative attitude to provide treatment to FSWs compared to those who did not identify themselves as religious (82). Ashar etal raised many points in their study on service delivery mechanisms for FSWs which included single versus integrated interventions, optimum or minimum requirements for services, different type of service provision based on priority etc.…”