Knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices concerning HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Yangon, Myanmar
Keywords:
HIV/AIDS, MSM, Knowledge, Attitude, Preventive Practices, MyanmarAbstract
Purpose - This study aimed to provide information for both governmental and non-governmental organizations on knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices concerning HIV/AIDS among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Yangon city, Myanmar.
Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional survey with a self-administered questionnaire was applied in this study. Yangon city and Medecins du Monde Organization (MdM) were selected using purposive sampling. Four hundred and twenty-two MSM aged 18 to 59 years old with both health service users and non-users from the organization were recruited by using convenience and snowball sampling methods.
Findings - Out of 422 MSM, majority of them (51.4%) were in 25 -35 years of age. Among three characteristics of MSM respondents, 32.5% was Apone (Masculine MSM), 51.2% was Apwint (Feminine MSM), and 16.4% was Tha Nge (Bisexual). Majority of them had high level of knowledge (49.1%), and moderate level of knowledge (41.9%). Most of them (61.8%) had neutral attitude toward HIV/AIDS and barriers on HIV/AIDS prevention. Half of the MSM respondents (51.9%) had moderate practice level, and 25.4% had good practice level. In multivariate analysis, knowledge and attitude were significantly associated with practices on HIV/AIDS prevention in the past three months (p-value <0.05).
Originality/value - Although knowledge and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS have been good among MSM, preventive behaviors were not practiced by most of respondents, particularly among those with low level of knowledge and negative attitude toward HIV/AIDS.
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