Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

Abstract #160326

Magda Chinaglia, MD¹, Julie Pulerwitz, ScD², Sheri Lippman, MSc³, Maeve Mello, PhD¹, Rick Homan, PhD⁴, and Juan Diaz, MD¹. (1) Population Council Brazil, Rua Dr. Ruy Vicente de Mello, 1047 Cidade Universitária, Campinas, 13084-050, Brazil, (2) Horizons/Population Council (seconded from PATH), 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 280, Washington, DC 20008, 202-237-9400, jpulerwitz@pcdc.org, (3) Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, University of California, Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall #7360, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, (4) Family Health International, P.O. Box 38835-00623, Nairobi, Kenya

Truckers and other mobile populations are particularly vulnerable to HIV/STI due to a high prevalence of risk behaviors and limited access to health services. To determine how to reach truckers crossing international borders in Southern Brazil and change their behaviors, an intervention study was implemented. Formative research revealed that truckers felt stigmatized as vectors of HIV and would prefer broader health services. The resulting intervention consisted of a health post within the customs station providing HIV/STI-focused services (e.g., VCT) and other services (e.g., glucose tests), plus education and condom distribution. Data were collected from male truckers passing through the customs stations of two towns (intervention and comparison) - at baseline (n=1,775) and 2 years later (n=2,415). Qualitative interviews with truckers were conducted following the intervention. At baseline, truckers reported substantial sexual risk behaviors; 45% had more than one partner over the past six months and less than half had ever been tested for HIV. Following the intervention, ever having an HIV test increased 49% in the intervention site and 15% in the comparison site (p<0.01). Reported communication with partners about condoms, HIV testing, and STIs increased (p<0.05) in the intervention site, but not the comparison site. Condom use with occasional partners increased 21% (p<0.05) in the intervention site and decreased 2.5% in the comparison site. Further, the strategy of offering both HIV/STI and non-HIV related services was perceived positively by truckers. Offering more comprehensive services for truckers is one way of reaching and positively impacting their behaviors.

Learning Objectives:

(
• To describe an HIV/STI prevention intervention for truckers in Brazil that combined HIV and other relevant services (e.g., blood pressure measurement), to minimize truckers’ expressed concerns about HIV-related stigma. (
• To describe positive results related to changes in VCT use, partner communication, and condom use due to the intervention.

Keywords: Service Delivery, Sexual Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.