Abstract
Vulnerability to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection among factory workers is a global problem. This study investigated the effectiveness of an intervention to increase AIDS knowledge, perceived accessibility to condoms and condom use among young factory workers in Thailand. The intervention was a workplace program designed to engage the private sector in HIV prevention. A cross-sectional survey conducted in 2008 to measure program outcomes in factories in Thailand was used in this study. The workplace intervention included the development of policies for management of HIV-positive employees, training sessions for managers and workers, and distribution of educational materials and condoms. A multi-level analysis was used to investigate the effect of HIV/AIDS prevention program components at the workplace on HIV/AIDS knowledge, perceived accessibility to condoms and condom use with regular sexual partners among 699 young factory workers (aged 18–24 years), controlling for their individual socio-demographic characteristics. Interventions related to the management and services component including workplace AIDS policy formulation, condom services programs and behavioral change campaigns were found to be significantly related to increased AIDS knowledge, perceived accessibility to condoms and condom use with regular partners. The effect of the HIV/AIDS training for managers, peer leaders and workers was positive but not statistically significant. With some revision of program components, scaling up of workplace interventions and the engagement of the private sector in HIV prevention should be seriously considered.
Highlights
Vulnerability to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection among factory workers is a global problem
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the workplace program intervention on AIDS knowledge, perceived accessibility to condoms and condom use with regular partners among young factory workers in Thailand
The analysis showed the significance of the management and services component of the intervention program on increased AIDS knowledge, perceived condom accessibility and condom use with regular partners
Summary
Vulnerability to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection among factory workers is a global problem. Puri and Cleland (2006) found very low use of condoms despite a high level of AIDS knowledge among the factory workers of Nepal. In a study of migrant and non-migrant factory workers in Kolkata, condom use was very low, among the migrants (Kumar et al, 2009). Another study conducted among urban factory workers in Tanzania has found that condom use with casual partners was highest, but with a regular partner (spouse) was very low (Borgdorff et al, 1994). The vulnerability of factory workers to HIV infection is related to their young age as well as their distance from their families (Cash et al, 1997)
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