KNOWLEDGE OF HIV TRANSMISSION AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AMONG MALE DRUG USERS IN MALAYSIA: FINDINGS FROM THE INTEGRATED BIOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL SURVEILLANCE SURVEY (IBBS) 2017

Received 2023-05-07; Accepted 2024-02-07; Published 2024-09-26

Authors

  • Yong Kang Cheah School of Economics, Finance and Banking, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia.
  • Anita Suleiman HIV/STI/Hepatitis C Sector, Ministry of Health Malaysia, 62590 Putrajaya, Malaysia.
  • Mazliza Ramly HIV/STI/Hepatitis C Sector, Ministry of Health Malaysia, 62590 Putrajaya, Malaysia.
  • Chee Cheong Kee Sector for Biostatistics and Data Repository, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, No. 1, Jln Setia Murni U13/52, Seksyen U13, 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
  • Kuang Kuay Lim Centre for Occupational Health Research, Institute for Public Health, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, No. 1, Jln Setia Murni U13/52, Seksyen U13, 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22452/jummec.vol27no2.22

Keywords:

cross-sectional studies, drug users, HIV, knowledge, sociodemographic factors

Abstract

Controlling the spread of HIV requires essential knowledge. This study explores how sociodemographic factors relate to HIV transmission knowledge among male drug users in Malaysia. This study utilised cross-sectional data from the Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance Survey (IBBS) 2017 (n = 1,413). An ordered probit regression was used to evaluate parameters influencing the probabilities of having low-, middle- and high-level knowledge of HIV transmission. Almost half of drug users had low- and middle-level knowledge of HIV transmission. The likelihood of possessing low- and middle-level knowledge about HIV transmission were 2.1%–8.3% lower among drug users aged 30–49 than those aged ≥50. Drug users with secondary- and tertiary-level education were 5.8%–14.9% more likely to possess high-level knowledge about HIV transmission compared to individuals with primary-level education. The odds of possessing high-level knowledge of HIV transmission was 6.3% higher among divorced/widowed drug users, while it was 23%–32.9% lower among non-Malays when compared with others. In conclusion, drug users are more likely to have poor knowledge about HIV transmission if they are older, less educated, non-Malays and single. Future HIV-control initiatives should give particular consideration to the populations with these sociodemographic traits.

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Published

2024-09-26

Issue

Section

Research article