Porn stars at ‘extremely high’ STD risk: Study
LOS ANGELES (JUNE 10, 2014) A UCLA Fielding School of Public Health research study of several hundred adult film industry performers presented (in poster form) earlier today at the CDC’s 2014 STD Prevention Conference in Atlanta confirmed that contrary to widespread industry spin, adult film performers face significant risks to their sexual health and well being while working in the industry. One in four adult film performers (24%) participating in the study reported an infection of gonorrhea or chlamydia, two serious, but treatable sexually transmitted diseases, while working in the industry—confirming the high STD risk facing adult film performers at work.
Complete results of the study, titled: ‘Adult Film Performers Transmission Behaviors and STI Prevalence[1]’ were first made public Tuesday. The study included responses from 366 adult film performers, 274 of whom (75%) were women. The study was conducted between August 2012 and June 2013 and was conducted by UCLA Fielding School of Public Health’s Behavioral Epidemiology Research Group (with support from the California HIV/AIDS Research Program).
Following are some noteworthy findings from the research study poster (also available in an infographic prepared by AHF):- Out of 366 performers, 23.7% tested positive for gonorrhea and/or chlamydia.
- 69.0% never used a condom on set in the past 30 days.
- 15.4% have had to perform sexual favors to get work.
- 10.3% have been physically hurt during a film shoot.
- 13.6% have had to perform a sex act they did not want to.
- 16.4% have not been paid at the end of the job.
- 33.2% have used a drug in the past three months.
- There was a statistically significant association between testing positive for STIs and the number of days working on set.
- There was a statistically significant association between testing positive for STIs and age and type of scene.
“This study confirms the extremely high STD risk facing adult film workers each day as they go about their work on adult film sets throughout California and elsewhere,” said Michael Weinstein, President, AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “Unscrupulous producers place these actors in jeopardy every time they require—or intimidate—these performers to work without condoms or other workplace safeguards. These adult film workers deserve better—as this study clearly confirms.”
The study comes out as the California Senate considers action later this month on legislation to require condoms in all adult films made in California (California Assembly Bill 1576, authored by Assembly member Isadore Hall, III (D-Los Angeles).
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This Gram-stained photomicrograph reveals the presence of intracellular Gram-negative, Neisseria gonorrhoeae diplococcal bacteria, amongst numerous white blood cells (WBCs). Image/CDC
