ArticleBMC health services research2021
Text message reminders and peer education increase HIV and Syphilis testing among female sex workers: a pilot quasi-experimental study in Uganda.
Article in BMC health services research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- [Health care for women in situation of prostitution: systematized narrative review].Revista espanola de salud publica · 2025Pooled it
- Women engaged in commercial sex living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus and viral non-suppression in Uganda: analysis of multiple respondent-driven sampling surveys, 2021-2023.BMC global and public health · 2026Article
- A Scoping review of communication strategies and interventions to deliver sexual and reproductive health information among female sex workers.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Willingness to pay for injectable HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among male and female sex workers in Uganda.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- Peer-education strategies for enhancing sexual health services among female sex workers: a scoping review.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- Technology-Assisted Interventions in the Delivery of HIV Prevention, Care, and Treatment Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Associations with HIV preexposure prophylaxis use by cisgender female sex workers in two Ugandan cities.PloS one · 2025Article
- Cross-sectional evaluation of a peer educator-led empowerment initiative for improving participation in cervical precancer screening among female sex workers in Ghana.Ecancermedicalscience · 2025Article
- A qualitative study of peer education experiences and oral pre-exposure prophylaxis use among adolescent girls and young women at high risk of HIV acquisition in Kampala, Uganda.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Gynecological health care services utilization and violence among female sex workers in Togo in 2021.Reproductive health · 2024Article
- Lessons from management of syphilis in Nunavut, Canada, 2012-2020.Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada · 2022Article
- "I felt very small and embarrassed by the health care provider when I requested to be tested for syphilis": barriers and facilitators of regular syphilis and HIV testing among female sex workers in Uganda.BMC public health · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGlobally, female sex workers (FSW) are disproportionately affected by HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, uptake of STI and HIV testing services among FSW in sub-Saharan Africa remains low. We aimed to assess the effect of FSW-led peer education and text message reminders on 3-monthly syphilis and HIV testing among FSW in Uganda.
methodsBetween September 2019 and February 2020, we implemented weekly peer education sessions and bi-monthly SMS reminders for FSW in Mbarara (intervention city). Peer education sessions were implemented by 20 FSW, who received five days of basic training as peer educators. We held monthly meetings with peer educators throughout the six-month implementation period. FSW in Mbale (control city) continued to receive standard of care consisting of HIV testing outreach campaigns, and facility-based testing. Using a quasi-experimental design in one intervention city, and one control city, we conducted pre- and post- questionnaire-based surveys on recent syphilis and HIV testing behavior among FSW in July-October 2018, and March 2020. We compared proportions and prevalence ratios at baseline and follow-up using chi-square tests and negative binomial regression.
resultsWe conducted 436 interviews (200 before/236 after) with FSW. At baseline similar proportions reported taking an HIV test (57 % vs. 54 %; p = 0.72), and a syphilis serology test (35 % vs. 39 %; p = 0.67) in the intervention and control cities, respectively, in the prior three months. After the intervention, this proportion increased to 82 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 74.0-88.2) for HIV, and 81 % (95 % CI: 73.0-87.0) for syphilis in the intervention city. Relative to baseline in the control city, the proportion testing for HIV was unchanged (52 %) but decreased for syphilis (26 %).
conclusionsBi-monthly text message reminders with weekly peer education sessions increased uptake of 3-monthly syphilis and HIV testing in a Ugandan female sex work population and could help increase sex worker engagement in HIV/STI services in line with World Health Organization recommendations.
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