ArticleCMAJ open
Access to sexual and reproductive health care among young adult sex workers in Toronto, Ontario: a mixed-methods study.
Article in CMAJ open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Health inequities faced by sex workers.The Lancet. Public health · 2026Review
- Voices from the Margins: Barriers and Facilitators to HPV Self-Sampling Among Structurally Marginalized People with a Cervix in the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Social-structural barriers to primary care among sex workers: findings from a community-based cohort in Vancouver, Canada (2014-2021).BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Breaking Barriers: Empowering Cervical Cancer Screening with HPV Self-Sampling for Sex Workers and Formerly Incarcerated Women in Toronto.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2024Article
- Structural Barriers to Primary Care Among Sex Workers: Findings from a Community- Based Cohort in Vancouver, Canada (2014-2021).Research square · 2024Article
- Sexual practices, their influencers, and utilization of HIV services among female sex workers in Mombasa County, Kenya.The Pan African medical journal · 2024Article
- Structural racism and violence: Routine healthcare access in a cohort of marginalized Indigenous women and Two-Spirit Peoples during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Research square · 2023Article
- Article
- Development of the W-PREV Model: Integrating HIV/STBBI Prevention and Women's Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Using an Intersectional Women-Centered Approach.Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS CareArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundYoung adult sex workers may benefit from sexual and reproductive health care services; however, little research has examined their access experiences. This study aimed to assess barriers to and facilitators of access to sexual and reproductive health care among young adult sex workers, and identify practices suggested by participants to improve services.
methodsThis was a community-based mixed-methods study of adults aged 18-29 years who were currently or had previously been engaged in sex work, conducted in Toronto in 2017-2018. The study was guided by a Youth Advisory Committee of 4 youth with lived experience of sex work. Participants completed an online survey, or participated in a focus group or a one-on-one interview; all 3 modalities included parallel questions about barriers to and facilitators of access to sexual and reproductive health care. We summarized quantitative data using descriptive statistics and identified qualitative themes using thematic analysis, followed by triangulation of the 2 strands.
resultsThere were 54 survey respondents (response rate 48%) and 17 participants in the qualitative phase (14 in focus groups and 3 in interviews), for a total sample size of 71. Survey respondents reported suboptimal access to sexual and reproductive health care, with 8 (15%) reporting no regular source of care, and only 6 (11%) reporting that they disclose their sex work experience to providers. Actual or expected stigma regarding sex work on the part of providers was the dominant barrier to care, whereas nonjudgmental providers, particularly those who themselves have sex work experience, was a key facilitator. Participants suggested 7 practices to improve access to sexual and reproductive health care.
interpretationYoung adult sex workers face many barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health care. Including people with sex work experience in the development of solutions will maximize the capacity to address the needs of this underserved population.
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