Women’s Wellness Project (2007-2012)
In collaboration with the Mongolia National AIDS Center, this study is the first behaviorally-based randomized clinical trial conducted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia with the support from the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA). The study is designed to examine the efficacy of HIV prevention intervention for women who are engaged in sex work and who have a history of alcohol abuse. The findings will have important HIV prevention implications for female sex workers in Mongolia.
The study was informed by a pilot project conducted in 2005 among two groups of women engaged in sex work in Ulaanbaatar.
Needs Assessment 2005:
•Focus groups and self-administered surveys among 48 sex workers
•24 each in Ulaanbaatar & Darkhan Uul
•Themes focused on sex work, sexual risk, intimate partner violence, alcohol abuse, psychological distress
•Qualitative findings confirm need for gender-specific programming
Quantitative Findings
•over 85% of women reported drinking at harmful levels (>8 on AUDIT);
•70% reported using condoms inconsistently with any partner;
•83% reported using alcohol before engaging in sex with paying partners, and
•38% reported high levels of depression