Risk behaviour, sexually transmitted infections and HIV among long-distance truck drivers: a cross-sectional survey along national highways in India.
OBJECTIVE
To report HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence and sexual behaviour of long-distance truckers on four national highway routes from a large, cross-sectional, national-level trucker survey in India.


METHODS
Seven trans-shipment locations covering the bulk of India's transport volume along four routes, north-west (NW), north-south (NS), north-east (NE) and south-east (SE) were identified as survey sites. A total of 2066 long-distance truckers were selected using a two-stage, time-location cluster sampling approach and, after consent, interviewed about their sexual behaviour. Urine and blood sample were tested for selected STIs.


RESULTS
Overall, HIV prevalence among truckers was found to be 4.6%, with prevalence highest on the SE route (6.8%) and lowest on the NS (2.4%). Positive HSV-2 serology, which was tested in a 10% subsample, was low along three routes, 10.0%, 12.8% and 6.7% for the NE, NS and NW, respectively, but 38.7% in the SE. The truckers from the SE were found to be more likely to have sex with paid partners than the NE route. Moreover, truckers who owned their trucks were more likely than those who did not use condoms consistently with paid partners, and truckers who drive trucks owned by their relatives/friends are more likely than others to have any STI.


CONCLUSIONS
Low self-risk perception for HIV (9.9%), low consistent condom use with non-paid partners (18.6%) and wives (3%), low reported exposure to any interventions (25.6%) and low levels of ever having taken an HIV test (16.5%) make truckers an important bridge population requiring strengthened interventions.
Pandey
Arvind
A
National Institute of Medical Statistics, Indian Council of Medical Research, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, India. arvindpandey@vsnl.net
Benara
Sudhir Kumar
SK
Roy
Nandini
N
Sahu
Damodar
D
Thomas
Mariamma
M
Joshi
Dhirendra Kumar
DK
Sengupta
Utpal
U
Paranjape
Ramesh S
RS
Bhalla
Aparajita
A
Prakash
Ajay
A
D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001334:Automobile Driving; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011477:Sex Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult