Assessing attitude towards condom use among truck drivers at transhipment location, Meerut District, India, using multidimensional condom attitude scale

Abstract

Background: In India, unsafe sex has been documented among truck drivers. This study explores the factors influencing their attitude of trucker towards condom use.Methods: A cross-sectional study design was adapted for this study in which 25 factors were chosen to assess attitude toward condom use on 7 point validated Likert scale UCLA Multidimensional Condom Attitude Scale on 5 subcomponents –Reliability, Pleasure, Stigma associated with condom use, embarrassment about negotiation and use of condom and about purchasing condom. Hundred truck drivers were recruited using convenient sampling and Mann-Whitney U and Kruskall Wallis Test were used to validate the subcomponents among those practicing unsafe sex. Results: Positive attitudes regarding reliability and effectiveness of condom were significantly higher among adult entrants and those resting more than 10 hours during journey whereas positive attitude regarding pleasure associated with condoms and stigma towards it is significantly higher among truck drivers travelled long distances and resting more than 10 hours. Conclusion: Adolescent entrants, those who have not travelled long distances and not rested more than 10 hrs requires improvement in the attitude towards condom use. Keywords: Unsafe sex; condom use; India.