Predictors of HIV preventive behaviors amongst migrants living in the Transportation Crossroads of Myawaddy Township, Myanmar

Abstract

HIV and AIDS is a still challenging public health threat and relating with an effect of globalization in many countries that is migration. The study aimed to assess proportion of HIV preventive behaviors, to describe socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge level about HIV/AIDS, level of social cognitive factors of protective motivation theory, cues to HIV preventive actions and substance uses and to predict the influencing factors for HIV preventive behaviors among migrants in Myawaddy Township, Thailand-Myanmar border area. It was a community based cross-sectional study among 358 migrants aged between 18 to 49 years. The questionnaire was adapted from UNGASS and other related studies including 9 parts. Participants were recruited by using two-stage cluster sampling method. After getting approval from MU-SSIRB, data collection was carried out by two research assistants with interviewer administered technique during first and second week of April, 2017. Age, gender, marital status, availability of condom, exposure with health education sessions about HIV and AIDS and history of exposure with substance use before having sex were adjusted by using multiple logistic regression method to remove co-founding factors. The study revealed that one third (34.9%) of the participants have HIV preventive behaviors comprising 17.3 % with no sexual experience, 3.4% with history of condom use at last sex during last 12 months and 19.6% with history of HIV testing last 12 months. The multivariate analysis showed that single marital status (AOR= 16.89 (7.85-37.61), p-value = <.001), history of receiving condom in last 12 months (AOR= 2.36 (1.26-4.45), p-value = .008) and history of exposure with health education sessions about HIV and AIDS in last 12 months (AOR= 2.62 (1.45-4.73), p-value = .001) were significant predictors of HIV preventive behavior among migrants. Therefore, HIV prevention should be forwarded by a strategy focusing on promoting awareness among migrants