Health care experiences of female sex workers: a qualitative study

TL;DR

This study explores the health care experiences of female sex workers in Turkey, highlighting barriers like stigma and cost, and suggests improving public health services to better support this group.

Contribution

The study provides in-depth qualitative insights into the health care experiences of female sex workers in Turkey, emphasizing the need for improved public health service accessibility and quality.

Findings

Participants faced barriers such as stigma, economic constraints, and safety concerns when accessing health services.

Private health facilities were preferred over public ones due to long waiting times and accessibility issues, though cost was a limiting factor.

Thematic analysis revealed four key areas: access barriers, service experiences, information levels, and emotional situations.

Abstract

Sex workers face significant barriers to accessing health services, including stigma, economic constraints, and safety concerns. In Turkey, this group is often subjected to discrimination and prejudiced approaches when accessing sexual health services, which reduces the uptake of health services. This study aims to analyze the health care experiences of sex workers in depth.

The study conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 16 women working as sex workers in Adana brothel in July–October 2024, and the data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Participants were selected through purposive sampling to ensure socio-demographic diversity.

Four main themes were identified through the analysis: Barriers to Access and Use of Health Services, Health Service Experiences and Satisfaction, Information and Awareness, and Emotional Situations. Participants indicated that they often preferred private health facilities due to difficulties in accessing public health services and long waiting times, but that these preferences were limited by cost.

Improving the quality of public health services and reducing costs may improve public health by encouraging this group to use health services.