Demographics, Sexual Risk Behaviours and Uptake of Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections among Attendees of a Weekly Women-only Community Clinic Program

Objectives: Vancouver's DTES represents a high-risk neighbourhood, in which there exist a number of community clinics and outreach programs. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to describe the population of women attending a weekly women's program with respect to demographics, risk behaviours and prevalence of STI, and 2) to assess the uptake of STI screening in this setting. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken during a weekly community clinicbased women's program from October to December, 2004. Women were recruited at the start of the program each week and were invited to provide urine samples for chlamydia and gonorrhea screening. Results: Among 126 respondents, the median age was 42 (36-49), more than half (52%) self-identified as White and 40% as Aboriginal ethnicity. Forty percent were currently involved in the sex trade. Two thirds reported a Pap smear in the past year, while 14% had not accessed sexual health care (Pap smear, STI or HIV testing). Among the 92/126 (74%) women providing a urine sample, the prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhea was 2.2% and 0.0%, respectively. Conclusion: The majority of women accessing this program were over 35 years of age, and while nearly half were currently involved in the sex trade, cross-sectional screening did not reveal a substantial prevalence of STIs. Women who were not regular program attendees reported less sexual health care, and represented the only two cases of chlamydia found. Innovative programs that better serve the needs of populations that remain unable or unwilling to seek sexual health care in its current formats are needed. Contexte : Plusieurs cliniques communautaires et programmes d'approche sont implantés dans le quartier défavorisé de Downtown Eastside à Vancouver, où la population est particulièrement vulnérable. Notre étude avait deux objectifs : 1) décrire le profil démographique, les comportements à risque et la prévalence des ITS dans la population féminine fréquentant un programme hebdomadaire pour femmes et 2) évaluer l'utilisation des tests de détection d'ITS dans le cadre de ce programme. Méthode : Enquête transversale menée dans une clinique communautaire dans le cadre d'un programme pour femmes organisé un soir par semaine d'octobre à décembre 2004. Des participantes, recrutées au début du programme chaque semaine, étaient invitées à donner un échantillon d'urine pour la détection du chlamydia et de la gonorrhée. Résultats : Sur les 126 répondantes, dont l'âge m