Awareness and Various Misconceptions Regarding Clinical Features, Routes of Transmission and Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases among Sub Study Population in North India

The objectives of present study is to determine the awareness regarding clinical features, routes of transmission prevention and various misconceptions of sexually transmitted diseases among study subpopulation. The present study was conducted within the municipal limits of Srinagar city. The subpopulations studied were: Long distance Truck Drivers and their helpers. The study was conducted by in-depth face to face interviews with the target populations using the questionnaire based on Family Health International"s instrument for Behavioral surveillance surveys with suitable modifications. The parameters studied included: 1) STD"s : awareness, symptoms & treatment seeking behavior 2) Knowledge, opinions & attitudes towards HIV/AIDS 3) Exposure to interventions. The sampling strategy used for Long distance truck drivers was time / location cluster sampling. The interviews were conducted twice in a week at each of the sites and at each visit a total of 10% truck drivers available at that time were interviewed using systematic random sampling. The data was collected over a period of six weeks from a total of 245 truck drivers. A total of 245 in depth face-to-face interviews were conducted in the study. Though condom awareness was high in the study groups but condom usage was low . Consistent condom usage in spousal (16%) & casual sex workers (31%) was overall much lower than consistent condom usage in commercial sex workers the same group (60%). The overall awareness about STDs was high in study group (TH) 74.29%. However the correct knowledge about at least two symptoms of STDs was low in study group (TH) 17.14%. The overall awareness about HIV /AIDS & its main modes of transmission was high in the group (above 80%). A good number of respondents had misconceptions about spread of HIV /AIDS especially about transmission by mosquito bites (60%). Awareness about modes of prevention of HIV/ AIDS was high (above 90%) . Awareness about the possibility of a confidential HIV test was high in study group however only 23% had ever had an HIV test done. A good proportion of respondents were willing to take care of an HIV +ve relative or friend (80%) but lesser no of respondents were willing to share a meal with an HIV +ve person or buy food from an HIV +ve shopkeeper (49%). Perception of risk among respondents who had indulged in unprotected non-regular sex in past one year was high (73%). Exposure to targeted interventions was significant . An overwhelming majority of respondents supported inter-personal communication or IPC (one to one, camps, group discussions) as the best mode of awareness generation about HIV/ AIDS (71%). Electronic media (Radio & TV) received second rating (46%) while very few of the respondents favored print media as the source of awareness generation about HIV/ AIDS (3%). These findings indicate that there is a need to initiate targeted interventions, and the TI Projects already being implemented with study group (TH) need to shift their focus from "awareness generation" to "behavior change communication" because of the finding that high level of awareness has not resulted in safer behavior practices in this group. Adequate publicity needs to be given to VCTCs & the reason for under-utilization of their services needs to be assessed.