HIV-related vulnerabilities among male overseas employment seekers at pre-departure training centres in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Introduction: A notable proportion of Sri Lankan HIV patients report external migration with male preponderance. To address STI/HIV related vulnerabilities of the male employment seekers, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) is conducting a pre-departure training.
Objectives: This study aimed to explore HIV-related Vulnerabilities among prospective male overseas employment seekers at pre-departure training centres in Colombo.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 432 male overseas employment seekers attending SLBFE pre-departure training in Colombo. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaire. assessing HIV knowledge (10-items awarding 1 mark to correct answer). Attitudes (seven 5-point Likert scale questions awarding -2 to +2 to each response) and high-risk behaviors for HIV. Composite knowledge and attitude scores were calculated for each individual. Data analysis done for measures of central tendency and dispersion. associations were calculated using chi-squared testing with level of significance considered at p<0.05.
Results: The mean age of participants was 27.86 years (SD=7.38) and 70.0% heading for Middle East. One-in-five (21.0%) demonstrating low level of HIV knowledge. Better knowledge was seen with higher educational levels (p <0.001). More than one-third (36.2%) showed a negative attitude towards HIV. Among 331 who reported sexual exposures ever, 32.9% had engaged in high-risk practices.
Conclusion: A significant portion of the sample demonstrated inadequate HIV awareness, negative attitudes and high-risk behaviours which poses a high risk of acquiring HIV. Further research is needed to understand low condom use and assess risks among returnees from overseas employment.