Health Literacy on Preventive Behaviors for HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections among Female Sex Workers in Pattaya City, Chonburi Province

Abstract

This cross - sectional survey aimed to assess health literacy regarding HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) preventive behaviors among female sex workers in Pattaya City, Chonburi Province. The target population comprised women aged over 18 years who voluntarily participated. A total of 348 participants were selected using two - stage cluster sampling. Data were collected by a questionnaire adapted from the Ministry of Public Health's health literacy framework and Huynh’s instrument. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. The findings indicated that 59.8% of participants had a high level of health literacy in HIV/AIDS and STIs prevention, with an average score of 125 points (range 43–160 point). When categorized into five key skills, over 70% of the participants demonstrated high levels in accessing (76.4%), understanding (83.0%), appraising (71.8%), and decision - making (76.1%), while only 49.7% achieved a high level in application. Reported gaps included difficulty remembering important health information (32.8%), inconsistent condom use with intimate partners (56.6%) compared to clients (occasional and regular: 89.0%), never undergoing HIV testing (27.6%), and never receiving gynecological examinations for STIs screening (25.9%). The study suggests that public health personnel should promote co - designed health literacy interventions, particularly in developing self - reminder and self - management skills for disease prevention. Additionally, risk communication and the consistent, correct use of condoms with all sexual partners should be emphasized to prevent HIV infection among female sex workers and to improve their overall quality of life.