Screening of sexually transmitted diseases of Burmese workers in Phuket province

Abstract

This study was a cross-sectional survey study to screen for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and to identify factors affecting STIs infection among Myanmar migrant workers in Phuket Province. Data were collected using a personal characteristics questionnaire and screening for STIs, including HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, using a test kit. A total of 268 people were screened. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, Chi-square test, and binary logistic regression. The results showed that the prevalence of STIs among Myanmar migrant workers in Phuket Province was 0.75% infected with HIV and 1.87% infected with syphilis. The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was 3.36%, But no hepatitis C infection was found. Factors associated with sexually transmitted infections included education level (p = 0.018). Factors influencing sexually transmitted infections included (1) male gender, with males having a 5.267-fold higher chance of contracting an STD than females (AOR = 5.267, 95% CI: 1.355 -20.476,
p = 0.016) and (2) educational level. People with low education were 1.483 times more likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted infection than people with higher education (AOR = 1.483, 95% CI: 1.103-1.995, p=0.009) and (3) occupation, people with construction occupations were 1.013 times more likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted infection than other occupations (AOR = 1.013, 95% CI: 1.000-1.025, p=0.044), statistically significant at p=0.05.