KAP study on HIV/AIDS among fishermen, traders, drug abusers and commercial sex workers in kawthaung township (September 1993)

ABSTRACT

As a baseline study for implementing an intervention programme for HIV/AIDS/STD prevention in Kawthaung area, a combined team of members of Myanmar Medical Association and World Vision International conducted a KAP study on HIV/AIDS among 213 fishsermen, 263 traders, 24 drug abusers and 31 commercial sex workers in September 1993. The results of this study showed that a substantial proportion of all study groups had some correct but incomplete knowledge on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS whereas a high proportion of these groups was still practising risk behaviours concerning sex and drugs. Only 8.5 to 12.5 percent of males inteviewed in this study regularly used condoms during sexual intercourse outside their marriage. For history of getting STD, it was foound that as much as 74.2 percent of CSWs had STD in the pats. CSWs also had the highest proportion of drug abuse 45.2 percent. Among male respondents, 13.2 percent of fishermen, 9.5 percent of traders and 20.8 percent of drug abusers had homosexual experience. The risk of getting HIV.AIDS and STD was high among all these study groups irrespective of their marital status.