Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Moore designed and implemented the study with C. Serio-Chapman and wrote the article. Han prepared and analyzed the data and led the literature search. Serio-Chapman originated and organized the study. Mobley supervised the study and assisted with data integrity.
Watson supervised the study and prepared the cost analysis. Terplan supervised the analysis. Young women engaged in exotic dancing have a higher need for reproductive health services than women not in this profession, and many also use drugs or exchange sex for money or drugs.
Few report receiving reproductive health services. Programmatic costs were feasible. Joint provision of needle exchange and reproductive health services targeting exotic dancers has the potential to reduce unintended pregnancies and link pregnant, substance-abusing women to reproductive care, and such programs should be implemented more widely.
Observations indicated that several women had late pregnancy diagnoses and were unfamiliar with their health care options. Most exotic dancers are in their early 20s, a period in which women are at high risk for unplanned pregnancies, 1 and many dancers are also engaged in high-risk activities that increase their chances of unplanned pregnancies and poor pregnancy outcomes.
Despite their risks, exotic dancers are a rarely studied subset of sex trade workers. Rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections STIs are high among sex trade workers, as are rates of unwanted pregnancies. Baltimore City Health Department BCHD staff operating a needle exchange in a downtown part of the city with a concentration of exotic dance clubs i.
