Resumen

CABADA, Miguel, MONTOYA, Manuel, ECHEVARRIA Z, Juan et al. Conductas de riesgo en jovenes que tienen contacto sexual con viajeros  ("Bricheros") en la ciudad del Cuzco - Perú¹. Rev. perú. med. exp. salud publica, abr.-jun. 2002, vol.19, no.2, p.83-86. ISSN 1726-4634.

Background: In Cuzco, the most visited city in Peru, there is a high-risk group for sexually-transmitted diseases called "bricheros", who go after travelers in order to have sex. Little is known about their sexual behavior. Objective: To explore the sexual behavior of these "bricheros". Materials and methods: Anonymous written questionnaires were handed out to "bricheros", between August and November of 2001. We defined a "brichero" as every male or female between 15 and 50 years old, who periodically attended bars and night clubs near the city main square, and who have had intercourse with tourists in the last 12 months. Results: 171 subjects entered the analysis, the mean age was 22,4 (SD: ± 3,9), the mean number of sex partners in the previous three months was 3,0 (SD: ± 2,7) and the mean number of foreign sex partners in the last twelve months was 6,3 (SD ± 9,1). 49,7% (85/171) "bricheros" had Peruvian and foreign sex partners and 43,9% (75/171) had only foreign sex partners. Only 37,6% (62/165) consistently used condoms and 28,7% (42/160) reported past STD-related symptoms. Conclusion: It is important to emphasize the capability of both groups (travelers and "bricheros") to act as vehicles for STDs, through their interaction with low- and high-risk groups and recognize them as new groups that should be included in sustained prevention programs aimed at changing their behavior rather than only giving information.

Palabras llave: Sexually transmitted diseases/prevention & control; Sex behavior; Peru.