ABSTRACT
Background: Mobile males
are vulnerable to HIV and are potential bridge for HIV transmission to their
sex partners, including spouses. To understand how mobility accentuates
vulnerability to HIV, we assessed the association of degree of male mobility
with paid sex, alcohol use and condom use at all places visited by migrants in
past two years. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was done among male migrant
workers [n = 2991] in five high in-migration districts of Maharashtra in India
during 2007-08. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed
that higher mobility [moving 3+ places in the past two years] was associated
with “sexual debut” in paid sex [3.7% Vs 6.9%, AOR = 1.70, p < 0.001] and
having sex with sex worker at the current place of destination [8.7% Vs 16.9%,
AOR = 2.10, p < 0.001], at the previous place of destination [7.2% Vs 15.1%,
AOR = 2.05, p < 0.001], and at the place of origin [0.6% Vs 1.6%, AOR =
2.31, p < 0.001]. However, higher mobility was associated with unpaid sex
with non-marital female partners [28.4% Vs 37.2%, AOR = 1.48, p < 0.001] and
less consistent condom use at the current place [26.6% Vs 23.4%, AOR = 0.45, p
< 0.05] as well as at place of origin [12.2% Vs 7.2%, AOR = 0.48, p <
0.01]. In addition, alcohol use prior to sex was more among more mobile
migrants relative to less mobile migrants at current place [6.1% Vs 11.2%, AOR
= 1.82, p < 0.001] and previous place [7.0% Vs 13.0%, AOR = 1.77, p <
0.001] of destination. Conclusion: Findings suggest that compared to the less
mobile, highly mobile men report higher HIV risk behaviours: paid sex, alcohol
use prior to paid sex and inconsistent condom use, at all locations along the
routes of mobility. Interventions need to target men who are highly mobile
along the routes of mobility and not at destination sites alone.
Share and Cite:
Suryawanshi, D. , Mahapatra, B. , Sharma, V. , Kumar, K. , Saggurti, N. and Bharat, S. (2014) Degree of Male Mobility as a Risk Factor for HIV in High In-Migration Districts of Maharashtra, India.
World Journal of AIDS,
4, 346-355. doi:
10.4236/wja.2014.43041.