Spatial distribution of sexual network locations used by long-distance truck drivers along the Northern Corridor highway, Kenya

Abstract

Background: In Kenya, long-distance truck drivers (LDTDs) using the Northern Corridor highway have a high prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to their risky sexual networks. However, the spatial distribution of the sexual network locations used by LDTDs is not well understood. Consequently, healthcare stakeholders have found it difficult to provide spatially targeted HIV/STI interventions among LDTDs. Thus, the study sought to establish the spatial distribution of sexual network locations used by LDTDs along the Northern Corridor highway, to inform efficient distribution and use of limited HIV/STI-prevention resources. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. The study adopted a systematic sampling technique. 296 LDTDs were interviewed using interviewer-administered questionnaires at the Mlolongo weighbridge in Kenya. The LDTDs listed their history of sexual interactions and highway stopovers used during the week preceding data collection. Geospatial modelling techniques, using R statistical software packages for spatial mapping, were employed. Shapefiles were created and overlaid over a map of Kenya using R statistical software to create maps of sexual networks. Results: Forty-two highway stopovers used by LDTDs were spatially distributed along the highway, from the Kenya coast to the Kenya–Uganda border. In general, LDTDs’ sexual network hotspots were restricted to the outskirts of major cities along the Northern Corridor highway (Nairobi, Mombasa and Nakuru) as well as the Kenya–Uganda international border. Conclusions: On the Northern Corridor highway, stopovers situated proximal to major urban areas, as well as those at international border points, frequently serve as sexual network hotspots among LDTDs and their sexual partners. Thus, healthcare stakeholders should improve access to HIV/STI-prevention services targeted for LDTDs at the sexual network hotspots identified in this study.