Open AccessConsistent Condom Use during Casual Sex among Long-Truck Drivers in Togo
Author(s) -
Issifou Yaya,
Dadja Essoya Landoh,
Bayaki Saka,
Kokou Vignikin,
AbdoulSamadou Aboubakari,
Kouamé Mathias N’Dri,
Kodjo Dodji Gbetoglo,
Atavi-Mensah Edorh,
Komla Ahlegnan,
Holali Comlan Yenkey,
Ayawavi Sitsopé Toudeka,
P. Pitché
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0153264
Subject(s) - casual , condom , demography , truck , cross sectional study , sex work , medicine , environmental health , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , psychology , family medicine , engineering , sociology , political science , syphilis , pathology , law , aerospace engineering
Background In 2008, the proportion of truck drivers who were not systematically protected during sex was 63% with casual partners and 60% with sex workers. Despite the high level of knowledge on HIV/AIDS and the growing awareness of the existence of the risk of HIV infection, condom use always encounters resistance among truck drivers in Togo. We sought to document the factors associated with condom use during casual sex among trucks’ drivers in Togo. Methods This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted in 2010 and targeted truckers at truck station on the two main roads of Togo, Lomé-Cinkassé and Kodjoviakopé-Sanvee Condji. Results In this study, 1,782 trucks’ drivers and their helpers were interviewed. All were men, and their mean age was 28.8 ± 8.8 years. Trucks’ drivers were doing an average of 3 stops on their journeys and 1,229 (69%) of them had at least two years of experience in the work. Of the 1,782 trucks’ drivers, only 620 (34.8%) had consistently used condoms during casual sex in the last three months. In multivariate analysis, predictors were: education level (primary schooling: OR = 1.54; p = 0 . 002; Secondary schooling and higher OR = 1.38; p = 0 . 036 ), good knowledge of ways of HIV transmission (OR = 1.53; p = 0 . 000 ), tested for HIV (OR = 1.67, p = 0 . 000 ), duration in the profession (2–5 years: OR = 1.43, p = 0 . 008 ; more than 5 years: OR = 1.38, p = 0 . 027 ), and HIV risk’s perception (OR = 1.44, p = 0.000). Conclusion These results highlight factors associated with consistent condom use during casual sex by truck drivers in Togo. This is a key population group at high risk of HIV transmission toward which the national HIV/AIDS control program should strengthen the HIV prevention strategies.