Heroin, crack, and AIDS: examining social change within Honolulu, Hawaii's street sex trade

The intent of the research was to conduct a replication study of a previous investigation in order to permit a comparative analysis of some aspects that might permeate overtime from the street sex trade of Honolulu, Hawaii. The design comprised the elements of a (1) longitudinal design, (2) a snowball sampling technique, (3) a survey instrument and (4) ethnographic and field data collection. Data comparison utilized survey interviews obtained from a population immersed in the street sex trade at the same location but from two different points in time. Both studies used Likert scale and semantic differential tests to target the prostitutes' attitudes toward the law, experiences with local social service agencies, and other aspects of the streetwalkers' personal lives. Details included the use of drugs and alcohol, fear of sexually transmitted infections, and experiences with crime and victimization. Increases in highest educational level completed were noted, but decreases in the completion of high school were more significant. Self reported use of narcotics was relatively consistent across the two studies, but an overall decrease in frequency of use was found. The current subjects rated HIV and AIDS their number one personal concern; whereas in 1974, the most commonly chosen concern was being arrested. None of the 1992 subjects reported that they had contracted HIV or the AIDS virus and stated that they preliminary depended on regular military clients for their income. The overall analysis of both samples yielded the epidemiological themes of (1) drug addition, (2) sexual exploitation, and (3) sexually transmitted infections among those within the street sex trade even though the time periods between them had spanned almost over twenty years. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.