Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #106142

Tooru Nemoto, PhD, Mariko Iwamoto, Hyun Joo Oh, PhD, Samantha Witt, Kimberly Le, Ha Chu, Linda Phan, and Rhea Lee. Medicine/Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, 74 New Montgomery St. Suite #600, San Francisco, CA 94105, 415-597-9391, tnemoto@psg.ucsf.edu

Background: More than 500 Asian women engage in sex work at massage parlors clustered in a district in San Francisco. Most Asian women are immigrants, have limited English skills, and lack access to medical/social services. They are vulnerable to violence from male customers and HIV/STIs. The intervention project aims to promote masseuses' health by targeting individual masseuses as well as on an environmental level through owners/managers.

Methods: Based on focus groups and qualitative interviews, culturally sensitive intervention curricula was developed. Health educators provide three individual counseling sessions addressing health promotion for masseuses. Baseline, post-test, and 6-month follow-up interviews are conducted using a structured questionnaire.

Results: As of January 2005, 24 masseuses and 8 owners/managers enrolled in the study. The preliminary data indicates that most participants are monolingual immigrants. On average, the participants reported 4 years of work experience as masseuses, working 9 hours almost everyday. Many reported frequent unprotected sex with their primary partners, and inconsistent condom use for oral sex and condom breakage/slipping off during sex with clients. Some masseuses have never tested for HIV. The owners' levels of HIV knowledge and attitudes toward health promotion were increased at the post-test compared with the baseline.

Conclusions: The intervention will be further evaluated based on the baseline, post-test, and follow-up data. Although Asian masseuses are hard-to-reach and stigmatized, the culturally specific intervention is accepted by more than half of the massage parlors. Intervention at the work environment has positive effects in terms of masseuses' and owners' attitudes toward health promotion.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize social and cultural risk factors for HIV/AIDS among Asian masseuses.
• Describe culturally sensitive intervention methods in reducing HIV/STI risk among Asian masseuses.
• Apply lessons learned to outreach, recruitment, and retention of hard-to-reach populations such as Asian masseuses.

Keywords: HIV Interventions, Sex Workers

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.