Food insecurity, HIV/AIDS pandemic and sexual behaviour of female commercial sex workers in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the role of hunger and food insecurity in the sexual behaviour of female commercial sex workers in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria within the context of HIV/AIDS. In addition, the study investigated the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and induced abortion among the respondents. Cross-sectional survey and in-depth interview research methods were adopted to generate both quantitative and qualitative data from the respondents. Findings of the study showed that 35.0% of the respondents joined the sex industry because of poverty and lack of other means of getting daily food. While all the respondents had knowledge about the existence of HIV/AIDS, 82.0% of them identified sexual intercourse as a major route of HIV transmission. There was a significant relationship between poverty, food insecurity and consistent use of condoms by female sex workers at P