RESEARCH PAPER
Sexual behaviour and its socio-demographic determinants among long-distance truck drivers of the Pune district, India
,
 
 
 
More details
Hide details
1
Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, India
 
2
Public health specialist, Kochi, Pune, India
 
 
Submission date: 2018-06-19
 
 
Final revision date: 2019-03-12
 
 
Acceptance date: 2019-03-14
 
 
Publication date: 2019-07-11
 
 
HIV & AIDS Review 2019;18(2):142-147
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Truck drivers constitute a bridge population between the general population and the high-risk group because of their mobility and high-risk behaviour. It was the importance of sexual behaviour among the vulnerable mobile population which prompted the investigator to study the same among truck drivers in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Material and methods:
The study was cross-sectional, descriptive, and questionnaire-based and was conducted on long-distance truck drivers in Loni (Pune). The truck drivers who consented to have an interview were taken to a separate area to maintain privacy and confidentiality. A total of 360 truck drivers were interviewed with a pretested and validated questionnaire.

Results:
The mean age of the truck drivers was 37.8 years (SD = 10.8). The majority of respondent were married (77.8%), consumed alcohol (82.0%), smoked (55.6%), and viewed pornography (83.3%). 41.6% truck drivers spent 21-25 nights away from home per month. More than 90% truck drivers had their first sexual encounter in the age range of 16-21 years. Nearly four-fifths (80.5%) of the truck drivers admitted having extra-marital sexual relations and 23.3% reported a history of visiting commercial sex workers (CSWs). In multivariable logistic regression, age and smoking were associated with extra-marital sexual relations, while coming from a rural area, being unmarried, and having a higher income were associated with exposure to CSWs; truck drivers with satisfactory sex life were less likely to visit CSWs.

Conclusions:
More efforts are required to translate the high-risk perception of unsafe sexual behaviour among the truck driver population into correct and safe sexual practices.

 
REFERENCES (11)
1.
India HIV Estimates Report (2006). Available from: http://data.unaids.org/pub/Rep..._ 2006_en.pdf (Accessed: 3.02.2017).
 
2.
Andina M, Mera R, Roy D, Rego A. AIDS prevention and control (APAC) evaluation USAID/INDIA, 2012.
 
3.
Pandey A, Benara SK, Roy N, et al. Risk behaviour, sexually transmitted infections and HIV among long-distance truck drivers: a cross-sectional survey along national highways in India. AIDS Lond Engl 2008; 22 Suppl 5: S81-90.
 
4.
Bal B, Ahmed SI, Mukherjee R, et al. HIV infection among transport workers operating through Siliguri-Guwahati national highway, India. J Int Assoc Physicians AIDS Care (Chic) 2007; 6: 56-60.
 
5.
Family Health International, Department for International Development, UK Govt. Behavioural Surveillance Survey in Healthy Highway Project, India. Summary Report (Accessed: 2.06.2015).
 
6.
Yadav AK, Gupta H, Vaz L, Yadav J. Human immunodeficiency virus, sexually transmitted disease awareness and condom usage among long-distance internal truck drivers in Pune, India. HIV AIDS Rev 2018; 17: 40-48.
 
7.
Chaturvedi S, Singh Z, Banerjee A, et al. Sexual behaviour among long distance truck drivers. Indian J Community Med 2008; 31.
 
8.
Rao KS, Pilli RD, Rao AS, Chalam PS. Sexual lifestyle of long distance lorry drivers in India: questionnaire survey. BMJ 1999; 318: 162-163.
 
9.
Manjunath JV, Thappa DM, Jaisankar TJ. Sexually transmitted diseases and sexual lifestyles of long-distance truck drivers: a clinico-epidemiologic study in south India. Int J STD AIDS 2002; 13: 612-617.
 
10.
Singh RK, Joshi HS. Sexual behavior among truck drivers. Indian J Public Health 2012; 56: 53-56.
 
11.
Pandey A, Mishra R, Sahu D, et al. Heterosexual risk behaviour among long distance truck drivers in India: Role of marital status. Indian J Med Res 2012; 136 (Suppl): 44-53.
 
eISSN:1732-2707
ISSN:1730-1270
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top