Reaching truckers in Brazil with non-stigmatizing and effective HIV/STI services

In response, the Horizons Program and the Population Council, in collaboration with the Municipal Secretariat of Health and the customs station in Foz do Iguaçu, the Paraná State Secretariat of Health, and the Uruguaiana Municipal STI/AIDS Program, conducted an intervention study from 2002 to 2005. The study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of providing a range of health services to truckers at a health post inside a customs station, where truckers wait anywhere from one day to a week for documents and cargo to clear customs. Truckers responded positively to HIVrelated services offered together with other health services, such as blood pressure and glucose screening, at a health post inside a customs station. Truckers passing through the intervention site reported greater uptake of HIV counseling and testing, and increased condom use and partner communication compared to truckers surveyed at the comparison site. These data suggest that the strategy was successful in reducing HIV risk among truckers.