Sexual Practices and Misconceptions Regarding Condom Usage and Status of Voluntary HIV Testing among Truck Drivers Employed in Transport Sector of Haryana- A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Truck drivers serve as a bridge population between high risk group and general population. Their nature of job demands travelling for days which compromises their lifestyle and health needs. Aim: To describe the sexual practices and misconceptions regarding condom usage and the status of voluntary Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing among truck drivers and helpers. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted during a health screening camp, conducted by team from a tertiary care centre of district Faridabad among truck drivers employed in a transport company. All the participants were interviewed by a trained counsellor using a structured, closed ended questionnaire. Data was analysed by using SPSS version 21. Fischer’s-exact and Chi-square tests were applied to test differences in proportions. Student t-test was applied to test the differences in mean between two groups. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Total 117 male truck drivers and helpers participated in the study, of which 87.2% were sexually active with condom usage rate of 41.2%. Majority of the sexually active participants (92.8%) had more than one sexual partner in the last year. Condom usage was significantly higher among those having multiple partners than single partner (p<0.001). Having sex with wife (36.4%) and preferred sex without condom (21.1%) were two major reasons elicited for non-usage of condoms. Almost half (46.2%) preferred to buy condoms from chemist shop. Only 14.7% of all the sexually active participants were ever tested for HIV. Conclusion: Truck drivers with multiple sexual partners were prevalent; however, usage of condoms was high among them.