RESUMEN
"A study was undertaken among 395 intra-city commercial bus drivers; conductors and motor park attendants in a sub-urban community in Lagos; Nigeria. It was aimed at ascertaining the level of knowledge of the participants on sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS; their sexual practices and perceived vulnerability to these diseases and; in particular; their attitude to and use of condoms. A semi-structured interview schedule was used for data collection. The men were found to have a strongly woven network of sexual relationships. Their sexual network included; apart from their wives and regular partners; commercial sex workers; young female hawkers; schoolgirls; and market women within and outside the motor parks. More than two thirds (74.3 ) of the men had multiple sex partners and many of them had had sexually transmitted diseases at one time or another. Condom ever-use rate was 65.6 but consistent and regular use rate with casual partners was 11.6 . Almost all the respondents (96.4 ) knew themselves to be at high risk of contracting STDs; while 87.6 felt that it was impossible for them to ""catch"" AIDS. Poor knowledge of risk factors for STDs was exhibited; as many of them attributed their previous STDs to excessive exposure to the sun; having sex in the sun; and their partners remaining in the bath for too long. Intra-city commercial bus operators and men at motor parks are a high risk group for acquiring HIV infection. Their sexual networking with a variety of women within and outside the parks also seems to suggest that they play a major role in transmitting HIV infection in urban communities in Nigeria. There is a need for intervention programmes with a focus on men at motor parks and similar high risk groups."