Factors associated with sexual risk taking behavior by precarious urban migrants in French Guiana

• Published in: BMC international health and human rights 2018-06, Vol.18 (1), p.24-24, Article 24
• Main Authors: Eubanks, August, Parriault, Marie Claire, Van Melle, Astrid, Basurko, Célia, Adriouch, Leila, Cropet, Claire, Nacher, Mathieu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Age Factors; AIDS; Alcoholic beverages; Condoms; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease prevention; Disease transmission; Female; Forecasts and trends; French Guiana; Health aspects; Health behavior; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health risks; HIV; HIV infection; HIV Infections - transmission; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Hypotheses; Immigrants; Infections; Life Sciences; Male; Males; Migrants; Neighborhoods; Perception; Polls & surveys; Prostitution; Risk factors; Risk perception; Risk taking; Risk-taking (Psychology); Santé publique et épidémiologie; Sex; Sex Factors; Sexual Behavior; Sexual risk; Sexually transmitted diseases; STD; Surveys and Questionnaires; Transients and Migrants - statistics & numerical data; Urban Population; Vulnerable Populations
• ISSN: 1472-698X; 1472-698X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12914-018-0164-4

French Guiana is highly affected by HIV. The migrant population is particularly susceptible. The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of risk of HIV transmission and its perception among migrants in French Guiana and to identify predictive factors. An HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors and Practices study was conducted in 2012 among migrants living in precarious neighborhoods of French Guiana. Of the 1039 participants surveyed, 893 were analyzed, of which 35.6% had risky sex during the past 12 months. Sexual risk taking was higher among the migrant population than in the general population. The predictors of sexual risk taking behavior were: younger age groups, males, having a job, not living with a spouse, having first had sex before age 16, using alcohol or drugs before sex, and having engaged in commercial sex recently. The factors associated with not being aware of one's risk were: being a woman, being from Guyana or Suriname, non-systematic use of condoms with a regular partner, and never or not recently having been tested for HIV. The results suggest there is still a need for information on HIV risks in a highly vulnerable population.