Use of Mobile Phone and Social Media in Sex Work Client Solicitation amongst Clients of HIV Targeted Intervention Projects in Delhi – An Exploratory Study
Journal Title: International Journal of Preventive, Curative & Community Medicine - Year 2018, Vol 4, Issue 2
Abstract
The current study was carried out to describe the use of mobile technology amongst the population at high risk of HIV infection (clients of Targeted Intervention Project under National AIDS Control Program) in Delhi. Information was collected from 1520 high-HIV-risk clients registered in targeted intervention projects in Delhi under National AIDS Control Program, using a structured questionnaire. Around 87.8% of the 1520 respondents admitted to be in possession of mobiles with the lowest levels being amongst IDUs. The truckers, female sex workers, transgenders, and migrants data shows more than 90% of the clients being in possession of mobiles, while only 58.3% of injectable drug user clients reported obsessing a mobile phone. Only 8% of the respondents reported using the mobiles for HIV awareness, though around two-fifths of the respondents reported having ever used them for social media. The use of mobile phones in soliciting clients amongst the groups involved in sex work, viz., MSM, transgenders, and female sex workers was reported to be 83.5%, 80.0% and 77.6% respectively. Messenger apps and video calls are commonly used for solicitation. Voice calls have been a common way of soliciting clients. WhatsApp messenger was found to be the most commonly used messenger amongst all the three categories of respondents. Almost universal availability of mobiles amongst HIV-high-risk population, affordable mobile technologies, and increasing use of social media may be tapped to increase awareness for prevention and control of spread of HIV/AIDS for the benefit of the high-risk population.
Authors and Affiliations
Dr. Mrinalini Darswal,
Keywords
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- EP ID EP288431
- DOI 10.24321/2454.325X.201813
- Views 99
- Downloads 0
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