In the company of friends: peer influence on Thai male extramarital sex.

We explore some of the key social dynamics underlying patterns of male extramarital heterosexual behavior in Thailand. We analyze transcripts of focus group discussions and focused individual interviews conducted during 1993 and 1994 with married men and women living in both urban and rural areas of central Thailand. We discern several pathways of peer influence on extramarital commercial sex patronage that are common across our sites and interpret these peer effects in light of contemporary theories of social influence and sexual behavior.

Multiple sexual partners and condom use among long-distance truck drivers in Thailand.

Sexual behaviors of long-distance truck drivers in Thailand were investigated to define patterns and determinants critical to the transmission of HIV. This article reports on commercial, spousal, and other sexual partners and on condom use among 327 drivers interviewed in 1992. Forty-eight percent reported a commercial sex worker (CSW) as their first partner and 87% had contact with a CSW at some time. Median lifetime number of all partners was 29. In the 6 months prior to interview, 35% had two or more partners. Among the currently married, 23% had CSW contact within the past 6 months; 13% had contact with a nonmarital, noncommercial partner; and about 8% reported marital as well as both CSW and noncommercial relationships in the same time period. Over half the unmarried reported sexual relations in the 6 months; 25% reported contacts with both CSW and noncommercial partners. About 40% of subjects visiting CSWs used condoms inconsistently or not at all. Drivers were knowledgeable about AIDS and prevention measures, with some important misconceptions, but self-assessment of risk of HIV showed a negligible sense of their personal vulnerability.

PIP: A 1992 survey of 327 long-distance truck drivers in Thailand revealed a negligible sense of vulnerability to AIDS despite widespread contact with commercial sex workers (CSWs). The study was conducted in Saraburi--the site of three large cement factories. The drivers' median age was 33 years (range, 15-54 years); 83% were currently married. Seven men (2.3% seroprevalence) were infected with HIV. 87% of truck drivers reported encounters with a CSW at some point; for 48%, a CSW was their first partner. In the 6 months preceding the survey, 23% of men currently living with a spouse had contact with a CSW, 13% had sex with a noncommercial partner, and another 8% reported both types of extramarital encounters. 78% of drivers whose first CSW experience occurred before 15 years of age had visited a CSW in the past year compared with 41% of those whose first contact was at 16-18 years and 34.5% of those whose first contact occurred at age 19 years or above. Only 58.5% of truck drivers who reported CSW encounters in the year preceding the study used condoms consistently; 28% claimed occasional use and 14% never used condoms. Only 3% of drivers perceived themselves to be at high risk of HIV infection; 62% claimed to be at no risk. Common were misconceptions about AIDS; for example, 25% felt they could not get HIV from someone who looked healthy.

Origins and working conditions of female sex workers in urban Thailand: consequences of social context for HIV transmission.

This paper examines the social origins and working conditions of selected female commercial sex workers in Thailand. Quantitative data gathered from 678 commercial sex workers (CSWs) in low-price brothels, tea houses and other work sites in three urban centers were supplemented by focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. The commercial sex establishments were selected from lists provided by local health officials. Social factors associated with entry into commercial sex work and condom use for sexual intercourse were investigated as they operate on contextual, intermediate and proximate levels. Women from the North region of Thailand predominated (68%) and they tended to be younger than the 27% from the Northeast. The majority of all women maintained financial ties to the home by sending income to parents, siblings and other relatives but this pattern is stronger among Northern women. Qualitative data suggest that women were systematically recruited into prostitution from villages in the North and their work enabled them to comply with traditional family support roles. Women from the Northeast revealed a more complex pattern of entry with intrafamily strife, divorce, efforts to find other employment, and entry into sex work at a later age than the women from the North. Northeastern women were more than twice as likely as Northern women to have had a husband as their first sex partner (55% vs 22%). The lives of CSWs were found to be tightly controlled by brothel owners and managers, although 8% were living with a husband or partner, and non-commercial sexual relationships in the month prior to interview were reported by up to 23%. Data indicate need for even more intensive education on HIV transmission, especially with respect to risk of transmission in the absence of AIDS symptoms. Appearance and a trusting relationship were the common reasons given for not using condoms. With the most recent client, 92% reported use if the client was not known and 70% reported use if the client had visited the same CSW three or more times. Education on HIV must take these attitudes and motivations into account as well as sanctions for brothel owners who do not enforce condom use. The proportion of Thai men who visit brothels in addition to other sexual partners, high rates of HIV among CSWs, and inconsistent use of condoms create a complex web that accelerates the spread of the HIV epidemic in Thailand.

The relational determinants of condom use with commercial sex partners in Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the extent and determinants of condom use with commercial sex partners among lower socioeconomic status groups in the Thai population. DESIGN: Respondents were sampled in Udon Thani, Saraburi and Bangkok in 1992. Completed sample size was 678 women in brothels, 330 male truck drivers and 1,075 men aged 17-45 years. Behavioral data and local sexual network information were collected using structured questionnaires (face-to-face interviews), focus groups and in-depth unstructured interviews. METHODS: Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Condom use with commercial partners remains inconsistent. Consistent use was reported by 61% of women in brothels, 25% of truck drivers, and 29% of men in the low-income population. The single strongest predictor of consistent condom use for all groups is type of partnership. Consistent use drops significantly with regular (multivisit) commercial sex partners compared with casual (single visit) commercial partners; adjusted odds of consistent use are 0.22 for women and 0.25 for men. Brothel women report that one in five of their commercial partners is a 'regular', and 20% of the young men who report a commercial partner report a 'regular'. DISCUSSION: The strongest determinant of consistent condom use is the nature of the relational bond between the partners, rather than their individual characteristics, knowledge or attitudes. To raise condom use further, programs will have to move beyond the standard knowledge-attitudes-practices paradigm focus on individual attributes to address the contextual determinants of behavior.

PIP: 678 women in brothels, 330 male truck drivers, and 1075 men aged 17-45 years participated in focus groups and were interviewed in Udon Thani, Saraburi, and Bangkok in 1992 to analyze the extent and determinants of condom use with commercial sex partners among lower socioeconomic status groups in the Thai population. Consistent condom use was reported by 61% of women in brothels, 25% of truck drivers, and 29% of men in the low-income population. The single strongest predictor of consistent condom use for all groups is the nature of the relational bond between the partners, rather than their individual characteristics, knowledge or attitudes. Consistent use drops significantly with multivisit commercial sex partners compared with single visit commercial partners. Brothel women report that 20% of their commercial partners are regulars, while 20% of the young men who report a commercial partner also report visiting a "regular" commercial sex partner. To raise condom use further, programs will have to move beyond the standard knowledge, attitudes, and practices approach to address the contextual determinants of behavior.

Health services providers and users' opinions on maternal health services in Bangkok metropolis.

PIP: Morbidity from pregnancy complications was 19.6% of inpatients in 1990 in Bangkok Metropolis. This study examines the impact of local customs on prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care; the factors affecting use of health services for prenatal care and delivery; and the nature of women's involvement in IEC for maternal health. Data was obtained from a community survey in May 1992 among 526 ever married women, 15-40 years old, from low-income communities in Bangkok Metropolis. In-depth interviews with hospital personnel were conducted at two general hospitals and three health centers, and focus groups were conducted in two communities. Findings show that Hospital A received 220 old and 80 new prenatal patients daily; Hospital B accommodated 130 old and 50 new ones. According to nurses, the major hospital problem was doctors' attitudes toward nurses. Comprehensive services were available at both hospitals. Hospital B encountered patient health problems of minor malnutrition, syphilis, and hepatitis, while Hospital A treated diarrhea and high blood pressure problems. A lack of medical personnel was reported in both settings. Low level of education was reported as related to noncompliance. Incorrect practices were identified as adherence to food taboos that led to deficiencies, consumption of whiskey with traditional medicine, which contaminated breast milk, and discarding mother's first milk. At health centers, which included family planning, doctors only saw high risk patients; complications generally were for swelling, high blood pressure, and vaginal bleeding. Not all centers had a prenatal care diagnostic manual or licensed nurses. Obstacles to delivery of health care included a lack of nurses, refusals at referral centers by low level personnel, and a poor rapport between nurses and patients, which improved with bribes. Poorly educated patients had trouble understanding their health condition. Nurses and focus groups reported that services were not convenient for patients. Migration interfered with keeping appointments. Male doctors were preferred to female doctors as nicer to patients.^ieng