Background: In West Africa there is little information on the behavior of sailors with respect to HIV/AIDS.
Aim: The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes on HIV/AIDS and their risk factors.
Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study on a sample of 400 sailors. Information was
collected on knowledge and attitudes. Multiple logistic regression was performed to analyse the factors
related to knowledge and attitudes.
Results: The mean age was 38.1 ± 9.8 years. Among sailors, 7.5% knew the 3 main modes of HIV transmission
and 48.3% did not sail with a crew member infected with HIV. Knowledge was related to occupational
category (OR = 14.07 [5.40–36.65]). Stigmatisation was related to education (OR = 0.45 [0.27–0.74])
and fear (0.19 [0.09–0.41]).
Conclusions: Sailors have a low level of knowledge and negative attitudes towards people living with HIV. Interventions
implemented must take into account the low level of knowledge and the mobility of the target population.