Risk awareness of HIV/AIDS among commercial farm workers in Zimbabwe.
OBJECTIVE
To determine levels of perceived risk of HIV infection and the determinants of these perceptions among commercial farm workers.


METHODS
Cross sectional.


METHODS
Commercial farms in Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Mashonaland East provinces of Zimbabwe.


METHODS
406 male and 411 female adults.


METHODS
Perceived risk of HIV infection.


RESULTS
Out of 33 female respondents aged less than 20 years, 19 (57.6%) reported that they had no chance of acquiring the HIV infection. The majority (15) of these 19 teenagers indicated that they had no chance of being HIV infected because they had sex only with their spouses. Of the respondents aged 20 years or more, 235 (64.6%) males and 182 (55.3%) females reported that they had no chance of being HIV infected (OR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.02, p = 0.016). Most males (57.0%) and females (59.9%) of age 20 years or more said that they had no chance of being HIV infected because they had sex with only their spouses. Among the respondents of age 20 years or more who indicated they had a moderate to high chance of being infected or were already infected, 35 (33.3%) of the males reported that they had multiple partners and 41 (40.6%) of the females reported that their spouses had multiple partners.


CONCLUSIONS
In general, despite high seroprevalence rates in Zimbabwe, many individuals do not perceive themselves at risk. Future health education intervention studies should seek to increase the general perception of low risk so that adequate precaution can be taken against being infected.
Siziya
S
S
Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Zimbabwe, Avondale, Harare.
Rusakaniko
S
S
Tshimanga
M
M
Marufu
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000383:Agriculture; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012309:Risk-Taking; D015030:Zimbabwe