Cross Sectional Survey Of Hiv/Aids High Risk Behaviours Among Commertcial Motorcycle (‘Okada\') Riders In Jos Metropolis, Plateau State

Abstract

Objective: This cross-sectional survey assessed the knowledge about HIV/AIDS and sexual behaviours of the Commercial Motor Cycle Riders in Jos Metropolis, Plateau state.
Methodology: A two stage sampling technique was used to recruit 47 subjects from each of the eight (8) Commercial Motor Cycle Riders station to make up a total of 376 eligible subjects for this study. Data was generated using semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire and the results were analyzed using EPI info version 2000 computer software.
Results: The study revealed that all the respondents were males, with mean age of 25.7+3.6 years and 86.4% of them were not married. Up to 55.0% of the respondents did not attend any school, while 30.0% attended either Arabic or primary schools. Only 21.3% of the respondents had good knowledge about HIV/AIDS Whereas 47.8% and 30.9% of them had fair and poor knowledge respectively. Up to 43.0% of the respondents had their first sexual intercourse at or before the age of 17 years, the major circumstance for which was ‘fun' (73.4%). Out of the 24.0% of the respondents who admitted to have had casual sex in the last 12 months, 89.0% had sex with commercial sex workers (as well as other women) and in 87.0% of the cases condom was used. The major reason for not using condom during casual sex was ‘dislike of condom' (41.6%) followed by ‘unavailability of condom' (33.0%) and ‘refusal of partner' (25.0%). One form of illicit drug or the other was used (at least once) by 81.6% of the subjects, while 32.0% of them had ever consumed alcohol.
Conclusion: The study revealed that being unmarried have a statistically significant relationship with keeping multiple sexual partners. Alcohol consumption is also shown to have a strong statistically significant relationship with indulgence in casual sex. However it was observed that knowledge had no statistically significant relationship with use of condom, frequency of casual sex and sex with commercial sex workers. Illicit drug use was also not found to have a statistically significant relationship with indulgence in casual sex.


Keywords: Commercial Motor-cycle Riders (Okada), HIV/AIDS, Commercial Sex Workers, Regular sexual partner.

Highland Medical Research Journal Vol. 4 (2) 2006 pp. 32-38