Abstract
BackgroundTruck, bus, transit drivers, and men with mobile jobs are at high risk for HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HIV and risky behaviors among truck and bus drivers in Kurdistan province.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted on 601 bus and truck drivers in Kurdistan province during 2018–2019. Data on high-risk behaviors were collected using a standard questionnaire. ELISA test was used to detect HIV in the study participants. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Mann–Whitney U tests, and logistic regression modeling in Stata-14 software.ResultsThe mean and standard deviation of the age of study participants was 44.04 ± 11.44 years. HIV rapid test was positive in two subjects; in other words, the prevalence of HIV in the study population was 0.33%. Ninety-two (15.3%) individuals reported a history of drug use, with one (1.1%) having a history of injecting drugs. One hundred and thirty-one (21.8%) of them had a history of high-risk sexual behavior outside of marriage.ConclusionAccording to the results of the present study, the prevalence of high-risk behaviors in bus and truck drivers is high. It seems necessary to direct the drivers’ attention to self-care while considering disciplinary intervention programs to prevent the use of drugs, cigarettes, alcohol along with high-risk sexual behaviors to maintain the health of drivers and passengers.
Highlights
Truck, bus, transit drivers, and men with mobile jobs are at high risk for HIV/AIDS
This study, which aimed to investigate the frequency of HIV/AIDS as well as high-risk behaviors in truck and bus drivers in Kurdistan province, Iran, showed that the prevalence of AIDS in truck drivers was 0.33%
It should be noted that monitoring of risky behaviors among high-risk groups is a part of second-generation HIV surveillance that can provide better data for decision-making and more emphasized by the World Health Organization [15]
Summary
Bus, transit drivers, and men with mobile jobs are at high risk for HIV/AIDS. Truck drivers are the main agents of this transportation system, playing a critical role in the trade. Truck and bus drivers are at risk for drug abuse due to their long-distance driving, busy work schedule, improper rest, and lack of rest [3]. These drivers have fewer social restrictions and are more inclined to relation with commercial sex workers and high-risk sexual networks due to the mobile nature of their job and being away from family for a long time [9, Karimi et al BMC Infectious Diseases (2021) 21:1198. Truck drivers and those who have sex with them can play a role in the spread of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections [12]
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