OBJECTIVETo study the socio-demographic characteristics, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) related behaviors of male clients of female sex workers and their determinants.

METHODSContacting subjects through 5 ways including volunteers of female sex workers (FSWs), sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics, long-distance bus stations, long-distance cargo station while adopting methods as snowballing, employing an anonymous questionnaire. Data was analyzed by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS(1) The majority of clients were 25-45 years old, married and of junior high school or above educational levels; (2) Among male clients of FSWs, numbers of having had commercial sexual intercourse was between 1 to 240, averaged 24 in the previous year. It significantly related to their occupation and the experience of their friends or colleagues who ever visited female sex workers; (3) 27.98% of them used condom every time during commercial sexual intercourse, which significantly related to the score of knowledge on AIDS, concourse of sex intercourse and inhabitation; (4) 28.36% of them had ever contracted STD, which significantly related to the frequency of commercial sexual intercourse in the previous year, risk awareness of being infected with human immunodeficiency virus, and frequency of condom use during commercial sexual intercourse.

CONCLUSIONThe proportion of always using condom was low among male clients of FSWs, and had had STDs. And it's necessary for active and specific intervention programs to them.