Paul W Okojie1
,
Attin O Mandonou1,
Esohe O Ogboghodo2,
Omonyemen Bello3,
Francis O Erah4,
Vincent Y Adam2,
Victoria Abdelaziz Wagbatsoma2
For correspondence:- Paul Okojie Email: pwokojie@liberty.edu Tel: +18722024785
Received: 9 August 2020 Accepted: 24 August 2020 Published: 23 September 2020
Citation: Okojie PW, Mandonou AO, Ogboghodo EO, Bello O, Erah FO, Adam VY, et al. Sexual risk behaviours of long-distance truck drivers in a Southern Nigerian town. Trop J Med Dent Pract 2020; 1(1):17-23 doi: https://doi.org/10.47227/tjmdp/v1i1.3
© 2020 The author(s).
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..
Background: Long-distance truck drivers (LDTD) are exposed to social hazards including high-risk sex. This study determined factors associated with risky sexual exposure among long-distance truck drivers.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 300 long-distance truck drivers from a highway park in Ahor Town, Edo State in Southern Nigeria. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and sexual risk behaviour data using a total population sample. Chi-square test, odds ratio, and confidence intervals were used to find the association between condom use, sexually transmitted infections (STI) history, HIV status, duration of a trip, number of sexual partners, and long-distance truck drivers’ exposure to commercial sex workers.
Results: Prevalence of condom use was 42.0%. 59.0% of LDTD reported history of multiple sexual partners. Psychoactive drugs (OR 2.5 (1.5-4.4), p<0.001; condom use (OR 16.3 (8.0-32.5), p<0.001; previous STI history (OR 2.5 (1.2-5.1), p=0.01 were significantly associated with LDTDs’ exposure to commercial sex workers (CSWs). A truck driver with single-sex partner was less likely to report sexual contact with CSWs.
Conclusion: Substance use and condoms may be fuelling exposure of LDTDs to CSWs. STI Interventions should emphasize a single partner relationship, target substance users, and highlight the potential impact of previous sexually transmitted infections on the risk of acquiring an HIV infection.
