A comparative study of condom use and self-reported sexually transmitted infections between foreign Asian and local clients of sex workers in Singapore

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a survey to compare condom use and its associated factors between foreign Asian and local clients of female sex workers in Singapore. STUDY: A survey was conducted between 2001 and 2002 on a random sample of 810 clients (677 foreign Asian workers and 133 locals) recruited from the streets and outside the brothels in Singapore. RESULTS: Foreign clients were more likely than locals to be inconsistent condom users with sex workers. Clients from China reported the highest percentage of inconsistent condom use (29.2%) and sexually transmitted infections (16.7%) compared with 8.3% (P < 0.003) and 2.3% (P < 0.005), respectively, among locals. On multivariate analysis, inconsistent condom use among foreign clients increased significantly with the number of freelance sex workers. The reverse trend was found for local clients. CONCLUSION: There is a need to design separate condom-promotion programs for foreign Asian and local clients of sex workers in Singapore.