A randomized trial of cash incentives for sexual behavior change among female sex workers in Dar es Salaam

Rationale: Female sex workers (FSW) across the world are at high risk for HIV infection and much work is needed to scale up HIV prevention programs among this group. Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs have been used successfully in recent years to encourage behavior change. We report the results of a CCT intervention among FSW in Tanzania. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial (N = 100) of a CCT intervention among FSW in Dar-esSalaam, Tanzania in 2013. A respondent-driven sampling approach recruited women and randomized them into two groups based on the value of the cash incentive ($20 vs. $40 per visit). All women received testing for 2 curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs), trichomonas and syphilis, free treatment for those STIs and counseling. Women attended study visits at 0, 2 and 4 months and were tested for STIs and received counseling at each visit. Women testing negative for both STIs at the 2and 4-month visits received a cash reward. Results: Eighty-four women were retained in the study through all three visits. Participants reported significant reductions in the number of clients per week, and increases in the proportion of clients that they used condoms with over the course of the study. STI results showed decreases in prevalence from baseline to final study visit for syphilis and trichomonas. Conclusion: While this study was not powered to determine if the incentive resulted in statistically significant increases in condom use or decreases in STI prevalence, the results show the acceptability of the intervention, the feasibility of the recruitment methods, and the ability to retain FSW participants across multiple study visits. A follow-up randomized study with a larger number of participants is planned to test the efficacy of the intervention among high-risk populations of women engaging in transactional sex.

Automated summary

The study conducted a CCT intervention among female sex workers in Tanzania, finding that it led to an increase in condom use and a decrease in the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections. The results demonstrate the acceptability of the intervention, the feasibility of recruitment methods, and ability to retain participants in multiple study visits. A follow-up randomized study with a larger number of participants is planned to further test the efficacy of the intervention among high-risk populations of women engaging in transactional sex.