Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices of Chinese migrants in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania toward HIV/AIDS

To investigate AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices (KABPs) among Chinese migrant laborers in east African cities, and to examine the current status of access to AIDS-related healthcare services, we conducted a cross-sectional study in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Of 121 male laborer participants who spoke neither English nor Swahili, 109 (90.9%) had an education level of high school or less. The survey revealed that migrants’ AIDS-related knowledge was poor, e.g., very few (n=4, 3.3%) were aware of the epidemiologic status of HIV in these two cities. Negative attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) were widespread, and the majority (n=94, 77.7%) did not make use of AIDS-related healthcare services or education. Although the main information resources on HIV/AIDS in China include television (n=94, 77.7%), books and newspapers (n=78, 64.5%) and radio (n=51, 42.1%), these sources were much less common in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam (p<0.001 for each). One third (n=44, 36.4%) did not have any information resources in these two cities. These results indicate that Chinese migrant laborers are at risk of HIV infection in the two African cities. Appropriate education for the general population in China and for migrants in these two cities regarding HIV/AIDS, along with relevant information resources that are more accessible and useful for migrants in East Africa are therefore needed to minimize the risk of infection. keywords: HIV; AIDS; Migration; Chinese; Kenya; Tanzania