Search

Structural factors in the United States, such as criminalization, contribute to disproportionate rates of violence against sex workers and subsequent risk of adverse health outcomes. There is a clear need for systemic interventions and risk reduction strategies to reduce violence in this population. To inform next steps in prevention, this scoping review provides an overview of the literature on violence prevention efforts targeting sex workers in the United States, mapped out according to the social-ecological model (SEM). A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed literature across five databases with no limit on publication date yielded 2,372 documents. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they focused on the U.S. population of sex workers and had a clearly defined aim or purpose of exploring, describing, or evaluating sex work violence prevention interventions or risk reduction strategies. Twelve studies met all eligibility criteria and were selected. Only two of the studies evaluated sexual violence prevention interventions, while the remaining 10 explored strategies sex workers use to minimize the risk of violence. Most research focused on female sex workers, violence from paying clients, and prevention at the individual level of the SEM. Our findings suggest a need for additional violence prevention interventions tailored for diverse groups of sex workers and cognizant of the overlapping forms of violence they face. This scoping review contributes to the limited body of research on the prevention of violence against sex workers in the United States by providing future directions for research and program development that span across the SEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, there has been increasing recognition of the importance and merits of increasing representation of historically underrepresented minorities in the health professions. However, people with disabilities are less discussed in these efforts. More than one in four of U.S. adults have a disability; yet it seems that these individuals are less represented in the field of health education. This commentary discusses the merits of increasing representation of people with disabilities in the health education/promotion profession and calls for preparation programs and professional organizations to reduce systemic barriers and facilitate increased representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of our study was to use select constructs from objectification theory to investigate how society’s sexual objectification of female athletes is related to differences in body esteem and self-objectification among collegiate female athletes and non-athletes. Using a cross-sectional survey, we sampled three groups at a Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association university: 322 non-athletes, 58 athletes participating in sports that are considered more objectified, and 27 athletes participating in sports that are considered less objectified. Participants completed survey measures assessing body esteem (sexual attractiveness, weight concern, and physical condition), body surveillance, thin-ideal internalization, and body shame. As predicted, all athletes experienced better body esteem than non-athletes. Surprisingly, both more and less objectified athletes also reported lower rates of body surveillance than non-athletes. Other findings varied by grouping. Overall, study findings suggested that athletes in more objectified sports experience greater thin-ideal internalization, thereby enhancing body shame without increasing body surveillance or body image concerns. Researchers and interventionists should put more focus on sexual- and self-objectification of collegiate female athletes participating in the more objectified sports because their psychological and mental health risks appear to be associated with objectification and not necessarily poor body image. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]