Sexual behaviors and partner-specific correlates of heterosexual anal intercourse among truck drivers and their wives in South India

Sexual practices, risk perception and HIV self-testing acceptability among long-distance truck drivers in Ekiti State, Nigeria

BACKGROUND

HIV/AIDS is a global health challenge with a high burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Long-distance drivers are a high-risk group whose assessment of HIV status, awareness and willingness to undergo HIV self-testing (HIVST) could help prevent the spread of HIV infections.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the sexual practices, risk perception and HIVST acceptability among long-distance truck drivers in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among long-distance truck drivers between September 2019 and December 2019. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed to investigate the perceived sexual risk factors and willingness to undergo HIVST.

RESULTS

Of the 306 drivers that participated in the study, almost half (49.8%) had their first sexual experience before they turned 18 years. About one-third (38.6%) had multiple sex partners and (34.0%) patronised commercial sex workers in the past 6 months. Consistent use of condoms was reported in a negligible percentage (3.0%), while 7.4% used intravenous drugs. Two-thirds of the respondents were interested in HIVST, while 32.2% knew their HIV status. Significant factors associated with multiple sex partners were the duration of working as a long-distance truck driver and patronage of sex workers.

CONCLUSION

A significant proportion of the long-distance drivers were engaged in unsafe sexual practices and are at risk for HIV transmission. Considering the mobile nature of the long-distance drivers, the risky practices of these workers require intense advocacy, testing and treatment to reduce HIV transmission. Scaling-up testing using HIVST has the potential to bridge the gap in the diagnosis of HIV among long-distance drivers who are willing to be tested.

Exploring unsafe sexual practices among truck drivers at Meerut District, India: a cross-sectional study

Background

Despite implementation of HIV prevention programmes for truck drivers in India, unsafe sex behavior among truck drivers has been documented.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess knowledge about HIV Transmission and modes of prevention, pattern of condom use with high risk partners and explore the practice of unsafe sex and its risk factors among truck drivers.

Methods

This exploratory cross-sectional study design was conducted on a recruited convenient sample of 100 truck drivers above 18 years from March to May 2015. Binary logistic regression was used to compute unadjusted odds ratio [95% Confidence Interval] for establishing association of risk factors with unsafe sex.

Results

Overall, only 7% had complete knowledge about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention. 54% of truck drivers have sex with a high risk partner (commercial sexual worker or men having sex with men) and thirty-eight percent reported unsafe sexual practices due to inconsistent condom use with them. The various risk factors found significantly associated with unsafe sex were mean age of first intercourse (OR= 0.92, 95% CI: 0.75 – 0.97), access to pornography (OR = 4.4, 95% CI: 1.8 – 10.7) and conuming psychoactive substance before sex (OR = 4.06, 95% CI: 1.09 – 15.02).

Conclusion

Socio-demographic, occupational factors, pornography access and consuming psychoactive substances seems to influence the sexual behaviour of truckers.

Prevalence of open defecation among households with toilets and associated factors in rural south India: an analytical cross-sectional study

Background

India's National Sanitation Mission aims to end open defecation by changing social norms and behaviours coupled with financial subsidies to build toilets. An earlier evaluation in the rural Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu reported poor use of household toilets constructed with government assistance. Our objectives were to estimate the prevalence of adults with a household toilet practicing open defecation and determine the factors associated with it.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 251 villages of the Dharmapuri district. We randomly selected households with toilets from the government register. We interviewed one adult member per household. We used multiple logistic regression to determine factors associated with open defecation.

Results

Of the 493 respondents, 270 (54.8% [95% confidence interval 50.2 to 59.2]) practiced open defecation despite having a household toilet. Inadequate design and incompletely constructed toilets, poor accessibility and availability of water, preference for open defecation, personal beliefs, sociocultural behaviours, family dynamics and lack of recognizing the health benefits of toilet use were significantly associated with open defecation. Exposure to government propaganda promoting safe sanitation practices was associated with toilet use.

Conclusions

Open defecation is common despite the presence of household toilets in the Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu. Toilet use is influenced by several structural and sociocultural determinants. The mission needs to shift its emphasis from toilet construction to sustainable functioning and use of toilets.

[Qualitative studies on truck drivers and HIV/AIDS: contributions for the analysis of vulnerability]

The scope of this article is to conduct a critical identification and analysis, based on the analytical framework of the concept of vulnerability of truck drivers to HIV. The criteria for inclusion were to address the issue of truck drivers' susceptibility to HIV/AIDS and to adopt the qualitative approach. A total of 445 abstracts were located, of which 17 articles were included in the analysis and categorized as "sociocultural studies", "evaluative studies" and "risk behavior studies." The analysis was based on reflections surrounding the concept of vulnerability in health. The study criticizes the predominance of qualitative studies of a behaviorist nature, with an emphasis on the identification of risk behaviors, concepts and representations about HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, it points to studies of a sociocultural and evaluative nature that transcend the barrier of individual behaviors, expanding the scope of analysis, analysis of structural phenomena and interactions of subjects faced with the epidemic, duly approaching the concept of vulnerability. The review reveals the need for studies that take into account the concept of vulnerability, contextualizing the behaviors to the socio-structural dimensions involved in the AIDS epidemic.

Psychosocial factors predicting risky sexual behaviour among long distance truck drivers in Lagos, Nigeria

Long distance truck drivers (LDTDs) have been identified as one of the groups at higher risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Understanding how certain social and psychological variables that have a strong theoretical basis contribute to sexual risk behaviour will guide in the implementation process of HIV risk-reduction intervention in the trucking population. In line with the conceptualisation of Information, Motivation and Behavioural skills model, we examined the extent that HIV knowledge, attitude towards condom use, peer support to condom use, perceived vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, and condom use self-efficacy will independently and jointly explain sexual risk behaviours of LDTDs in a haulage company in Lagos, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey design was used and 154 drivers with ages ranging from 27 to 68 years (M = 44.03, SD = 8.82) completed copies of a questionnaire comprising demographics and measures of psychological variables. Psychological factors that included HIV knowledge, attitude towards condom use, perceived vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, peer support to condom use, and condom use self-efficacy significantly jointly predicted sexual risk behaviours (R2 = .59, F(5, 148) = 42.63; p < .05), by accounting for about 59% of the explained variance in sexual risk behaviours. Social factors that included age, number of years of education, number of wives, number of intercourses in the last three months, number of partners apart from primary partners, and number of weeks spent outside home significantly jointly predicted sexual risk behaviour (R2 = .15, F(6, 147) = 4.39; p < .05) by accounting for about 15% of the explained variance in sexual risk behaviour among the drivers. It is concluded that all the psychological and social factors examined as predictor variables could jointly play important roles in prevention intervention programmes for reducing sexual risk behaviours of LDTDs. Stakeholders should sensitise LDTDs on the need to realise that they are a high-risk group and are more vulnerable to HIV infection; thus, behaviour change is indispensable in their sexual relationships.

Knowledge and Attitude About Sexually Transmitted Infections Amongst Truck Drivers in Southern Punjab, Pakistan

INTRODUCTION

There is very limited knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) transmission and prevention present amongst high-risk groups such as truck drivers in Pakistan because of lack of awareness and understanding about barrier techniques.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to collect and access the data gathered from truck drivers about symptoms of STIs, their attitude towards hazards of multiple sexual partners, homosexuality, transmission and consequences of STIs, and their perception about preventing it using condoms and other barrier methods.

METHODS

This study was conducted at small roadside tea stalls and local rest areas on Karachi road, Lodhran near the city of Bahawalpur in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. A structured questionnaire was designed, and 50 willing truck drivers of the city of Bahawalpur were included and interviewed. It was a cross-sectional study. Data was collected on knowledge about the STIs and use of barrier methods like condoms. Quantitative data was assessed and analyzed using SPSS version 23.0 (IBM, NY, USA).

RESULTS

Fifty truck drivers of Bahawalpur were interviewed via standardized questionnaire in this study. All of them provided answers about their knowledge of STIs. Twenty drivers (40%) reported burning micturition, and only two (four percent) knew the real cause of it. Thirty-two (64%) of them were well aware of the use of condoms. Thirty-eight (76%) truck drivers had the knowledge about the adverse effects of multiple sex partners.

CONCLUSION

The truck drivers of Bahawalpur city are quite vulnerable to STIs and this demonstrates the importance of prevention programs that can target this particular group. A significant number of the respondents had serious gaps in their knowledge about STIs like acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), especially its modes of transmission, signs, and symptoms. The knowledge of other routes of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission like needle sharing and blood transfusion, and precautionary steps should be given due respect in HIV/AIDS awareness programs.