Occupational Characteristics and Factors Associated with Prevention Practices Related to HIV/AIDS among Alcohol Factory Male Workers in Industrial Zone (1), Pyi Gyi Tagon Township, Mandalay, Union of Myanmar

Abstract

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to indentify the occupational characteristics and to find factors associated with prevention practices related to HIV/AIDS among alcohol factory male workers in IZ (1), Pyi Gyi Tagon Township and Mandalay, Union of Myanmar. This study was conducted among 219 respondents by using a structured interview questionnaire and data were collected in March 2012. Workers’ sex practices and prevalence of condom use were assessed in relation with the independent variables by using multiple logistic regressions. Some of the respondents were married but they were living with friends, relatives or living alone instead of living with families for their jobs and this factor was associated with more extramarital sex (OR= 0.220, 95% CI= 0.063, 0.767, p-value= 0.017). One of the occupational characteristics, travelling for jobs, was significantly associated with sex after drinking alcohol (OR= 26.696, 95% CI= 8.846, 80.551, p-value= <0.001) and extramarital sex (OR= 9.509, 95% CI= 3.099, 29.182, p-value= <0.001).These results strongly suggest that an occupational characteristic is one of the associated factors with unsafe sex, but does not prove causality. The observed association should be investigated further and the future studies should not only be descriptive study but also include action research for HIV prevention and control.