Safer Sex Intervention for Male Clients of Female Sex Workers in Tijuana, Mexico

Behavioral interventions designed to reduce risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have mostly failed to consider clients of female sex workers (FSWs), who may act as a "bridge" to the general population. This study proposes to test a brief, one-hour counseling intervention with male clients in Tijuana, Mexico, to reduce their rates of unprotected sex (i.e., sex without a condom) with FSWs as well as their rates of infection with HIV and STIs. Finding an effective intervention for this population is important given the rising rates of HIV infection in Tijuana (as documented in earlier studies) and the large numbers of people crossing the border in both directions, many of them specifically to purchase sex from FSWs in Tijuana.