However, for those tracking the HIV epidemic, the trends in risk behaviours are of greater concern than the exact level of risk behaviour at any given point of time. Even when there is misreporting, repeat behavioural surveys have indicated changes in trends over a period of time, provided the magnitude or direction of misreporting did not change significantly.
To ensure maximum validity, the survey was implemented with high levels of quality control. This included intensive sensitisation and training of the interviewers, provision of a setting conducive to privacy during interview, assuring and maintaining confidentiality so that the respondents felt comfortable.
Training
The field-team members (including managers, executives, team leaders and investigators) had received extensive training to sensitise them to issues related to collecting information on sexual behaviour of the respondents. The training programme had also focused on basic facts on STIs and HIV/AIDS, and interviewing techniques for each target segment. The training was carried out by experienced trainers and facilitators from NGOs who had extensive field experience in working with truck drivers and highway female sex workers. The field managers and executives were trained in a 3-days centralized training workshop, whereas the field team leaders and investigators were trained in various field centers of IMRB.
Key findings – all India analysis
Ssampling for truck drivers and FSWs was done for each zone. This section details ampling for truck helpers and stationary workers was done on all-India basis while cumulative findings of all the sub-group of respondents related to demographic information, behavioural indicators and knowledge indicators at all India level.
Key findings of the male segments
Demographic information
Age profile: A total of 46% truck drivers were in the age group of 21-30 years while 22% were in the age group of 31-35 years. The median age for truck drivers was 31 years. Truck helpers were from relatively younger age groups. Thirty-eight percent of them were aged 18-20 years while 40% were in the age group of 21-25 years. The median age of truck helpers was 23 years. Majority of the stationary workers (53%) were in the age group of 21-30 years. Their median age was 29 years.
Marital status: Eighty-four percent truck drivers, 37% truck helpers and 68% stationary
workers had said that they were married.
State of origin: Truck drivers from Uttar Pradesh comprised the maximum number of respondents (16%). Ten percent truck drivers were from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh each, 9% were from Madhya Pradesh, 8% were from Maharashtra and 7% were from Punjab and West Bengal each. The remaining 33% truckers were from the other states of India.
Literacy: Twenty-three percent truck helpers, 18% truck drivers and 20% stationary workers had said that they were illiterate. Thirty-six percent truck drivers, 35% truck helpers and 33% stationary workers had reportedly completed Class X examination.
Behavioural indicators
The proportion of respondents who reported having had sex with any kind of partner (married or other partners) during the preceding year was highest among truck drivers (92.4% of 4,811 respondents) and least among truck helpers (64.4% of 1,200 respondents). A total of 77.3% of the 1,201 stationary workers had said that they had sex during the same period.
Type of sexual partners
Of the respondents who had reported having had sex during the preceding 12 months, the proportion of respondents reporting high-risk behaviour (defined as having sex with a FSW, non-regular partner or male partner) was highest among truck helpers. Forty-seven percent and 25% truck helpers had said that they had sex with FSWs and non-regular partners respectively. The corresponding figures were 36% and 12% for truck drivers and 19% and 13% among stationary workers (Table 2).
| Table 2: Type of sexual partners reported by male respondents – all |
|
| |
India analysis |
|
|
|
| Sexual partner in the last 12 months |
% respondents in the male segments |
|
|
Truck drivers |
|
Truck helpers |
|
Stationary workers |
|
| |
(n = 4445) |
|
(n = 773) |
|
(n = 928) |
|
| Commercial partner |
36 |
|
47 |
|
19 |
|
| Non-regular partner* |
12 |
|
25 |
|
13 |
|
| Regular partner |
89 |
|
60 |
|
86 |
|
* A non-regular partner is defined as a sexual partner that the respondents are not married to, have never lived with and do not pay.
Two percent truck drivers and truck helpers each and one percent stationary workers had reported having had male sexual partners during the year before the survey.
