Department of Medical Research, Ministry of Health and Sports, Yangon, Myanmar.
University of Public Health, Yangon, Myanmar.
PLoS One. 2019 Jan 10;14(1):e0209853. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209853. eCollection 2019.
Tattooing especially gains popularity among both men and women in adulthood from the wide range of socioeconomic groups and is noted as a risk taking behaviour in adults. Especially when tattooing does not perform to the highest standards, it can potentially be the hazardous practice. Myanmar has a paucity of evidence-based information on the estimated prevalence of tattoos and awareness of potential disease transmission from tattooing under insanitary conditions as well as the infection risk. The present research was undertaken to help identify the self-reported prevalence of tattooing among adults (18-35 years) and their knowledge of transmission risk of blood-borne infections and its determinants.
A community-based cross-sectional study focused on residents aged 18-35 years was carried out in two urban and two rural areas in Mandalay district, Mandalay Region during 2015. Trained interviewers used a pre-tested structured questionnaire for face-to-face interviews with one eligible participant per selected household (n = 401). Bivariate analysis and multivariable analysis using binary logistic regression were done to ascertain the relevant explanatory variables.
The overall self-reported prevalence of tattooing was 19.5% (78/401) (95% CI = 16-24). Nearly 80% of participants (318/401) knew at least one blood-borne viral infection that could be transmitted from tattooing. The persons who had high formal education, manual laborers and those who lived with their families were significantly more likely to cite at least one blood-borne viral infection. Their perceived possibility to remove tattoo independently influenced the practice of tattooing (aOR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.06-3.45; p = 0.03) compared with participants who reported no perceived possibility. Tattooing was more common in male (aOR = 13.07, 95% CI = 6.25-27.33; p<0.001) compared to female which was independently significant.
This study ascertained the tattoo prevalence as two in ten adults of working age especially among male in central part of Myanmar in the context of lack of registration system for tattoo parlours and the issuance of safety guidelines. Findings have suggested the target groups and risk factors to be included in future health promotion programs. Future research directions should focus on perspectives of tattooists to create and sustain the sanitary practices to reduce the chance of transmission of blood-borne viral infections.
纹身，尤其是在成年人群体中，越来越受到男性和女性的欢迎，并且被认为是成年人的一种冒险行为。特别是当纹身操作没有达到最高标准时，它可能会带来危险。缅甸缺乏关于纹身流行率的循证信息，也缺乏对在不卫生条件下纹身可能传播潜在疾病以及感染风险的认识。本研究旨在帮助确定成年人（18-35 岁）自我报告的纹身流行率，以及他们对血液传播感染的传播风险的认识及其决定因素。
2015 年，在曼德勒地区的两个城市和两个农村地区进行了一项以社区为基础的横断面研究，研究对象为 18-35 岁的居民。受过培训的访谈者使用预先测试的结构化问卷，对每个选定家庭中的一名合格参与者（n=401）进行面对面访谈。采用二变量分析和多变量分析中的二元逻辑回归来确定相关的解释变量。
总体自我报告的纹身流行率为 19.5%（78/401）（95%CI=16-24）。近 80%的参与者（318/401）知道至少一种可通过纹身传播的血液传播病毒感染。受过高等教育、体力劳动者和与家人同住的人更有可能提到至少一种血液传播病毒感染。他们认为去除纹身的可能性独立影响纹身的实践（调整后的比值比[aOR]=1.91，95%CI=1.06-3.45；p=0.03），与报告没有这种可能性的参与者相比。男性（aOR=13.07，95%CI=6.25-27.33；p<0.001）比女性更常见纹身，这是一个独立的显著差异。
这项研究在纹身店缺乏登记系统和安全指南的情况下，确定了在缅甸中部工作年龄的成年人中，有两成是纹身者，尤其是男性。研究结果表明，应将目标人群和风险因素纳入未来的健康促进计划。未来的研究方向应侧重于纹身师的观点，以制定和维持卫生措施，减少血液传播病毒感染的传播机会。
