Sexual behaviour and its socio-demographic determinants among long-distance truck drivers of the Pune district, India

Abstract

Introduction: Truck drivers constitute a bridge population between the general population and the high-risk group because of their mobility and high-risk behaviour. It was the importance of sexual behaviour among the vulnerable mobile population which prompted the investigator to study the same among truck drivers in Pune, Maharashtra, India. Material and methods: The study was cross-sectional, descriptive, and questionnaire-based and was conducted on long-distance truck drivers in Loni (Pune). The truck drivers who consented to have an interview were taken to a separate area to maintain privacy and confidentiality. A total of 360 truck drivers were interviewed with a pretested and validated questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the truck drivers was 37.8 years (SD = 10.8). The majority of respondent were married (77.8%), consumed alcohol (82.0%), smoked (55.6%), and viewed pornography (83.3%). 41.6% truck drivers spent 21-25 nights away from home per month. More than 90% truck drivers had their first sexual encounter in the age range of 16-21 years. Nearly four-fifths (80.5%) of the truck drivers admitted having extra-marital sexual relations and 23.3% reported a history of visiting commercial sex workers (CSWs). In multivariable logistic regression, age and smoking were associated with extra-marital sexual relations, while coming from a rural area, being unmarried, and having a higher income were associated with exposure to CSWs; truck drivers with satisfactory sex life were less likely to visit CSWs. Conclusions: More efforts are required to translate the high-risk perception of unsafe sexual behaviour among the truck driver population into correct and safe sexual practices.