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Risks for HIV Infection Among Male Street Laborers in Urban Vietnam

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Abstract

Risks for HIV infection remain unknown in male street laborers. This research investigates patterns of self-reported risk behaviors among these men in urban Vietnam. In a cross-sectional survey using a social mapping technique, 450 men, mostly low-skilled and unregistered migrant laborers across 13 districts in Hanoi were approached for interviews. The study revealed that male street laborers were at high risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV. One in every 12 men reported homosexual or bisexual behavior. These men on average had three sexual partners within the preceding year, and condom use was inconsistent. Close to 95 % of the men had reported sexual encounters with regular partners. One-third with commercial sex workers (CSW) and 24.2 % with casual partners, but just under one-third had ever used condoms with regular partners and CSWs and very few (17.6 %) with casual partners at their last sexual encounter. 17.11 % used illicit drugs sometimes, with 66.7 % of them frequently sharing injecting equipment with peers. These men had limited HIV knowledge; 51.4 % incorrectly believed that, once you trust your partner, you no longer need to use condoms and 42.4 % believed that you can tell by looking at someone if they have HIV. Access to HIV prevention was also limited; only 19.8 % of men had been tested for HIV during the previous 12 months, almost 10 % of whom neither returned for the result nor knew their HIV status. The study provides interesting directions for future research and suggests ways to effectively design prevention strategies for these men.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants awarded from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation from the Queensland University of Technology, and the Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Program (AusAID). The authors also thank the field teams for their tireless efforts to assist this study. The authors gratefully acknowledge the participation of all male street laborers in the survey interviews in Hanoi city, Vietnam.

Conflict of interest

The study has no conflict of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Management and Organization, Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, 01 Ton That Tung Str., Dong Da Dist., Hanoi, Vietnam

    Huy Van Nguyen

  2. Social Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Michael P. Dunne

  3. Vietnam-Queensland University of Technology Public Health Cooperation Program, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Michael P. Dunne

  4. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Joseph Debattista

  5. Sexual Health and HIV Service, MetroNorth Health Service District, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Joseph Debattista

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  1. Huy Van Nguyen
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Correspondence to Huy Van Nguyen.

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Van Nguyen, H., Dunne, M.P. & Debattista, J. Risks for HIV Infection Among Male Street Laborers in Urban Vietnam. J Community Health 38, 626–633 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-013-9657-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-013-9657-1

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