‘Asking to use a condom with your wife is an admission of cheating while you were away on your fishing expedition’: HIV vulnerability and condom use among fishers at Elmina fishing community in Ghana

Abstract

Abstract Although evidence abounds about low condom use among fisherfolks, leading to high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence in fishing communities, there is dearth of information about the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of fishers regarding the use of condom. This article is a follow-up to a cross-sectional study that used a mix-method design for data collection and analysis to examine the connection between mobility and the risk of contracting HIV among 385 fishers in the Elmina fishing community of Ghana. The Health Belief Model is utilized in the discussions to analyze attitudes and actions toward condom use among the fishers in Elmina. There is a general low perception of HIV susceptibility and severity resulting in the low condom usage among the fisherfolks according to the results. The paper urges civil society organizations in the study area to investigate ways to incorporate the provision of free condoms to fishers and at the numerous fishing destination sites along the coast of Elmina. The regular use of condoms in Elmina and the nearby fishing areas should also be emphasized through this outreach or mobile HIV service outlets.