Factors Associated with Drug Use Among Male Motorbike Taxi Drivers in Urban Vietnam

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 291 male motorbike taxi drivers (MMTDs) recruited through social mapping technique in Hanoi, Vietnam, for face-to-face interviews to examine factors associated with drug use among MMTDs using Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills (IMB) model. Among 291 MMTDs, 17.18% reported drug use sometime in their lives, 96% of whom were drug injectors. Being depressed, being originally borne in urban cities, currently residing in rural areas, having a longer time living apart from their wives/lovers, using alcohol, following Buddhism, and reporting lower motivation of HIV prevention predict significantly higher odds of uptaking drugs.

Keywords :

• motorbike taxi driver(s)
• HIV risk behavior
• drug use
• information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model
• risk behavior
• Vietnam

THE AUTHORS

Huy Van Nguyen, MD, BSc, MSc, PhD, got a medical doctor degree from the Thainguyen Medical University and Hanoi Medical University in 1995, a bachelor of art in foreign language degree from the Hanoi University for Foreign Languages in 1997, a District Health Care Certificate from the Royal Tropical Institute in the Netherlands in 1999, a master of health and international development degree from the Flinders University in Australia in 2006, and PhD in health from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia, in 2011. He, a deputy head of the Department of Health Management and Organization, has been working in the area of health management (leadership and management skills) and public health for over 15 years. His main career is a lecturer teaching and researching health organization and management, health system research and management, hospital management, health resources management, monitoring and evaluation of health activities/projects/programs, primary health care, community health research, health biostatistics, and research methodology. Up to date, he had over 35 articles published locally, almost 15 articles published internationally, and 5 local and international coauthor books.

Thinh Toan Vu, BPH, is a bachelor of public health. He graduated from Hanoi Medical University in 2013. He ranked fourth at Hanoi Medical University overall period of 2007–2013 and ranked first at the Department of Public Health from 2009 to 2013. He was awarded certificates of graduation for valedictorian by Hanoi Medical University, People's Committee of Hanoi, and Communist Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh in 2013. Besides, he got many testimonials for participating courses such as Repeated Measures; Systematic Review and Meta Analysis; Writing Scientific Papers; E-learning Class on Introduction to Public Health –Global Experiences; Course on Mental Health Care; HIV –Economic Evaluation Basics Course; The Pneumonia Course (UNAIDS)… He took part in the 4th Asia Pacific Region Conference of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and National AIDS conference in 2013. At the present, he is working in the Vietnam HIV-Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network and in charge of managing data, analyzing data, writing reports and management of Website of this Center. Up to now, he had four articles published locally and four articles prepared to submit to international magazines.

Ha Nguyen Pham, MD, MSc, PhD, got a master degree in public health and PhD from the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. He has more than five papers published internationally. He is working in the field of occupational health for the World Health Organization Office in Vietnam.