Population size estimation of female sex workers using network scale-up method in Kermanshah city

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 23; no. 1; p. 268
• Main Authors: Olfati, Lida, Safari-Faramani, Roya, Najafi, Farid, Nazar, Mehdi Moradi, Shakiba, Ebrahim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 07-02-2023; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Aged; Censuses; Cities; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data collection; Demographic aspects; Epidemiology; Female; Female sex workers (FSWs); Females; Forecasts and trends; Health aspects; HIV; HIV infection; HIV Infections - epidemiology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human resource management; Humans; Immune system; Interviews; Men; Middle Aged; Monte Carlo simulation; Network scale-up; Pedestrians; Population Density; Population number; Population size estimation; Prevalence; Prostitutes; Public health; Risk factors; Risk taking; Sample size; Sex industry; Sex oriented businesses; Sex Workers; Sexually transmitted diseases; Social networks; Social organization; Socioeconomic factors; Statistics; STD; Stigma; Women; Workers; Young Adult; Iran; Population size estimation; Female sex workers (FSWs); Network scale-up
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15141-9

Appropriate estimate of size of the female sex workers as well as the other hard-to-reach-populations plays a crucial role in reaching them with effective preventive measures. This study aimed to estimate the population size of female sex workers in Kermanshah City using the network scale-up method.
In this cross-sectional study, of the 1000 pedestrians aged between 18 and 65 years, selected from the population of Kermanshah City via a multistage sampling, were recruited in the study. Face-to-face interview using a questionnaire including the number of FSWs in the social network of the respondent was used to collect the data.
The overall estimated number of female sex workers in the general population was 4848(UI 95%: 4597, 5074). Accordingly, the prevalence of FSWs among women 18 years and older in Kermanshah in 2018 was about 11.92 (UI 95%: 11.30, 12.47) in one thousand. More than half of the female sex workers in the respondent's social network were unmarried and were in the age range of 18 to 29, and had a high school or university degree. Among high-risk behaviors, a history of alcohol consumption accounted for the highest percentage.
The number of female sex workers estimated in this study is considerable, which highlights the importance of planning harm reduction interventions in order to alleviate the burden of HIV infection in the population.