Health Status and Use of Healthcare Services of Undocumented Migrant Sex Workers in Catalonia: A Descriptive Study Using Administrative Registries

Albert Dalmau-Bueno, Sergi Albert-Ballestar, Rosa Mansilla and Anna García-Altés ()
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Albert Dalmau-Bueno: Catalan Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS), 08009 Barcelona, Spain
Sergi Albert-Ballestar: Catalan Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS), 08009 Barcelona, Spain
Rosa Mansilla: Programa de Prevenció, Control i Atenció al VIH, les ITS i les Hepatitis Víriques (PCAVIHV), Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya, Departament de Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Anna García-Altés: Catalan Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS), 08009 Barcelona, Spain

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: The objective of the study is to describe the health status and use of public healthcare services by undocumented migrant sex workers (UMSWs) attended in Catalonia between 2013 and 2018. This study utilized a descriptive observational research design. Non-parametric tests were applied to estimate differences in the use of public healthcare services, and incidence and prevalence of selected sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) according to gender and region of origin. Out of 1464 women and 199 men UMSWs, 855 (51.4%) contacted primary care services once or more, and 378 (22.7%) used emergency services. Differences between regions of origin were found in the use of primary care services (Sub-Saharan Africa had 65.9% while Europe and Central Asia 43.0%, p < 0.001). Facilitating early diagnosis and improving access to healthcare resources among key populations such as men who have sex with men or transgender women can be achieved through interventions such as community-led point-of-care testing, which increases the frequency of HIV and STD screening and may also prove effective among UMSWs.

Keywords: undocumented migrant sex workers; healthcare use; STDs; administrative registries; real-world evidence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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