Jingyi Lu,1,* Caiping Zhang,1,* Suren Rao Sooranna,2,3 Zhiyan He,1 Guangzi Qi,1,4– 6 Yaqin Pang1,4– 6 

1College of Public Health and Management, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Life Science and Clinical Research Center, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London, SW10 9NH, UK; 4Modern Industrial College of Biomedicine and Great Health, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 5Key Laboratory of Research on Environment and Population Health in Aluminium Mining Areas (Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities), Education Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Baise, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 6Key Laboratory of Research on Environmental Pollution and health Risk Assessment, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Guangzi Qi; Yaqin Pang, College of Public Health and Management, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, No. 98, Chengxiang Road, Baise, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-0776-2846550, Fax +86-0776-2846565, Email qiguangzi@ymun.edu.com; pangyaqin@126.com

Objective: To understand the current situation for social support and HPV vaccination behavior of female sex workers (FSWs) in entertainment venues and to explore the association between the support and HPV vaccination behavior.
Methods: 923 FSWs in entertainment venues in a region of Guangxi were selected as survey respondents by using intentional sampling and employing a self-developed basic information questionnaire. The social support rating and the HPV vaccination behavior scales were analyzed to determine the current status of support and HPV vaccination behavior of FSWs in entertainment venues. In addition, the correlations between these parameters were analyzed.
Results: The total score of social support of FSWs in entertainment venues was 35.13± 8.10, and the score for HPV vaccination behavior was 30.08± 5.73. There were significant differences between these two parameters for FSWs of different ages, monthly incomes and working hours (P < 0.05). Objective, subjective and social support were positively correlated with all dimensions of HPV vaccination behavior (r = 0.212~0.236, 0.245~0.334 and 0.113~0.152, respectively; P < 0.01 in all cases). Typical correlation analysis yielded a correlation between these three dimensions of social support as well as with two dimensions of HPV vaccination behavior (self-decision-making and self-efficacy) (r = 0.373; P < 0.01).
Conclusion: Social support and HPV vaccination behavior of FSWs in entertainment venues initially low. However, as social support for FSWs was increased, their behavior towards HPV vaccination was elevated. Both subjective and objective support helped FSWs in entertainment venues their behavior to HPV vaccination and to maintain their physical and mental health.

Keywords: female sex workers, social support, HPV vaccination, inoculation behavior, knowledge of HPV