ArticleBMJ open2016
Syphilis among middle-aged female sex workers in China: a three-site cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence and associated factors of syphilis among female sex workers in East Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Adaptive engagement within a prospective registry: tracking health, occupation, and social dynamics among female sex workers in Southern Sichuan.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Determinants of sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers in Ethiopia: a count regression model approach.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Preconception syphilis seroprevalence and association with duration of marriage and age among married individuals in Guangdong Province, China: A population-based cross-sectional study.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Article
- A community-based comprehensive intervention to reduce syphilis infection among low-fee female sex workers in China: a matched-pair, community-based randomized study.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2019Article
- Can Burt's Theory of Structural Holes be Applied to Study Social Support Among Mid-Age Female Sex Workers? A Multi-Site Egocentric Network Study in China.AIDS and behavior · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThis study addresses the lack of empirical studies about the epidemic of syphilis among middle-aged female sex workers (FSWs). The objectives of this study were to investigate prevalence of syphilis, and its potential risk factors among middle-aged FSWs in China.
designA cross-sectional study with respondent-driven sampling (RDS).
settingA multisite study conducted at three Chinese cites (Nanning, Hefei, and Qingdao) with different levels of sexually transmitted diseases in 2014.
participants1245 middle-aged female sex workers who were over 35 years old (about 400 per study site).
main outcome measuresUnprotected commercial sex, and syphilis and HIV infection were biologically tested and measured.
resultsThe RDS-adjusted prevalence of active syphilis was 17.3% in Hefei, 9.9% in Qingdao, and 5.4% in Nanning. The RDS-adjusted prevalence of prevalent syphilis was between 6.8% and 33.6% in the three cities. The proportion of unprotected sex in the past 48 h verified by the prostate-specific antigen test (PSA) was between 27.8% and 42.4%. Multiple log-binomial regression analyses indicate that middle-aged FSWs who had 5 or more clients in the past week prior to interviews and engaged in unprotected sex were more likely to be active syphilitic cases. Middle-aged FSWs who had rural residency were less likely to be active syphilitic cases.
conclusionsIn contrast with previous studies that reported low prevalence of syphilis and high prevalence of protected sex among FSWs in China, both the prevalence of syphilis and unprotected sex were high among middle-aged FSWs. Evidence-based intervention programmes should be developed and evaluated among this vulnerable population in China and other countries with similar settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.