Sexually transmitted diseases and sexual lifestyles of long-distance truck drivers: A clinico-epidemiologic study in south India

Abstract

Our study objective was to determine the prevalence and pattern of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and to study sexual lifestyles of long-distance truck drivers and their assistants in south India. For this, a total of 263 truck drivers/assistants were recruited from the highway clinic from October 1999 to March 2001. All of them were sexually active and heterosexual contact was the predominant mode (99.2%). Two-thirds of them had contact with commercial sex workers (CSWs) and roughly 60% admitted alcohol consumption. One hundred and two participants (38.7%) had various STDs. The positivity rates of HIV, VDRL and HBsAg were 15.9%, 13.3% and 21.2% respectively. The higher median age, education less than primary school level, longer duration of occupation, longer duration of each trip and a previous history of genital ulcer disease were significant risk factors for the acquisition of HIV infection.

Exploring “Wine Shops” as a Venue for HIV Prevention Interventions in Urban India

“…1 HIV prevention programs in India have targeted individuals at a higher risk for infection, such as female sex workers, 2 long-distance truck drivers, [3][4][5] or entire communities using communitybased outreach education efforts. 6 The common framework of these interventions is to tailor prevention strategies to suit the needs and behaviors of the target population.…”

Hiv/Aids Awareness; Long Distance Truck Drivers

“…4 The trucker's knowledge of prevention of HIV/AIDS and medically test of HIV/AIDS are underlined. Larger proportion of truckers agreed that avoiding sexual contact tends to prevent from HIV/AIDS 11,16,17 while poor knowledge about test HIV/AIDS, more than three quarters(80%) of LDTDs never test for HIV/AIDS. 17 Multiple sexual partnerships with men and women are common among truckers.…”

Challenges Associated with the Effective Management of HIV Infection in a Low Income Setting in Sub Saharan Africa: Case Study of Nigeria

“…Previous report in Bangladesh and India found HIV prevalence of 15.9% and 17.8% respectively among long distance drivers (Gibney et al, 2003, Manjunath et al, 2002. Condom use among long distance drivers is low and /or inconsistent (Sugihantono et al, 2003).…”