The Adult Film Industry: Time to Regulate?

Sample size: 825 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Corita R Grudzen, Peter R Kerndt

Primary Institution: University of California, Los Angeles

The adult film industry is putting the health of its employees at risk by insisting that they work without condoms.

The study highlights the need for regulation in the adult film industry to protect performers from sexually transmitted diseases.

Performers typically earn $400–$1,000 per shoot and are not compensated based on distribution or sales.
Condom use is reportedly low in heterosexual adult films—approximately 17% for adult performers.
Between January 2003 and March 2005, approximately 976 performers were reported with 1,153 positive STD test results.
A meta-analysis suggests that condoms are 90%–95% effective in preventing HIV transmission.
Regulation of the industry has been limited to prevention of child pornography.

The adult film industry often requires performers to work without condoms, which can lead to the spread of diseases like HIV.

The study does not provide comprehensive data on all sexually transmitted diseases affecting performers.

The study involved adult film performers, primarily in Los Angeles County.

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