Cross-sectional study assessing HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and behavior in the Namibian truck transport sector: Readjusting HIV prevention programs in the workplace

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to assess the current status of HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior (KAB) of employees in the private transport sector in Namibia and to compare companies with established HIV workplace program (WPPs) with those that have recently initiated the implementation of such programs. The study was designed as a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey. Between January and March 2011, the survey was conducted in the Namibian truck transport sector in six companies of different sizes. The participants were selected randomly from the workforce. Data collection was based on a KAB questionnaire. The range of correct answers to the survey concerning the knowledge of HIV transmission was 67-95%. Twenty percent of the employees had never been tested for HIV. Additionally, risky sexual behaviors were quite prevalent and included having multiple concurrent partners and the use of sex for incentives. This study revealed that drivers and laborers were especially at risk for such behaviors. The employees of companies with established WPPs were tested for HIV more often than those of companies with new WPPs; however, aside from this difference, only minor differences were observed between the two groups. The findings of this study highlight the need for on-going HIV information and prevention campaigns that focus on the special needs of mobile and low-income workers. WPPs should be tailored accordingly and shift their focus to more practical approaches, such as voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), to increase their effectiveness.

Prevalence of HIV and Associated Risk Factors Among Long Distance Truck Drivers in Inchope, Mozambique, 2012

“…Furthermore, about one in three LDTD had never tested for HIV prior to study participation. This is slightly higher as compared to the general population of men ages 15–49 in Mozambique (81 % never tested [2] ), but lower compared with truckers in Namibia (20 % never tested [26] ). Among HIV-positive LDTD, over four-fifths did not know they were infected.…”

“…Workplace interventions have shown some degree of success in increasing HIV testing uptake and decreasing HIV risk elsewhere [26, 30]. As such, considering the fragmented nature of the national trucking industry, an encompassing model such as the Avahan HIV program in India might be more effective [31, 32] than independent workplace interventions.…”

Knowledge Gaps of STIs in Africa; Systematic review

“…Fifty one included studies assessed the awareness of 1,235,811 Africans in regard to HIV in total of 35 countries, eleven studies were conducted in Nigeria [14,16,83,17,18,23,38,48,60,63,81] , nine in South Africa [24,27,29,34,37,42,46,82,84] , five in each of Ghana [19,31,65,66,68] and Ethiopia [21,73,77,78,80] , four in Uganda [13,55,72,75] , three in Mozambique [22,26,30] , two in each of Namibia [45,76] and Cameroon [59,67] , one in each of Congo [25] , Sudan [33] , Senegal [39] , Morocco [47] , Gambia [50] , Tanzania [53] , Madagascar [71] and Egypt [74] while a study provided awareness prevalence in 33 countries [8] . The conduction of the studies ranged from 2010 to 2017.…”

Knowledge gaps of STIs in Africa; Systematic review

“…Fifty oneincluded studies assessed the awareness of 1,342,002 Africans in regard to HIV in total of 35 countries, eleven studies were conducted in Nigeria [14,[16][17][18]23,38,48,60,63,81,83], nine in South Africa [24,27,29,34,37,42,46,82,84], five in each of Ghana [19,31,65,66,68] and Ethiopia [21,73,77,78,80], four in Uganda [13,55,72,75], three in Mozambique [22,26,30], two in each of Namibia [45,76]and Cameroon [59,67], one in each of Congo [25], Sudan [33], Senegal [39], Morocco [47], Gambia [50], Tanzania [53], Madagascar [71] and Egypt…”

“…(Continued) ,26,30,33,37,39,45,47,48,50,60,65,66,68,71,72,75,80,82] Eleven included studies in regard to HIV were conducted among Nigerians representing a total population of 98,279 participants; three studies were conducted in Oyo State[14,16,63] and one in each of Osun State [17], Ekiti State [18], Enugu State [23], Kano State [48], Sokoto State[81]and Ogun State…”