Abstract
By removing the foreskin, medical male circumcision (MMC) reduces female to male heterosexual HIV transmission by approximately
60 %. Traditional circumcision has higher rates of complications than MMC, and reports indicate unsanitized instruments are
sometimes shared across groups of circumcision initiates. A geographically stratified, cluster survey of acceptability of
MMC and improved instrument sanitation was conducted among 368 eligible Maasai participants in two Northern Districts of Tanzania.
Most respondents had been circumcised in groups, with 56 % circumcised with a shared knife rinsed in water between initiates
and 16 % circumcised with a knife not cleaned between initiates. Contrasting practice, 88 % preferred use of medical supplies
for their sons’ circumcisions. Willingness to provide MMC to sons was 28 %; however, provided the contingency of traditional
leadership support for MMC, this rose to 84 %. Future interventions to address circumcision safety, including traditional
circumciser training and expansion of access to MMC, are discussed.
60 %. Traditional circumcision has higher rates of complications than MMC, and reports indicate unsanitized instruments are
sometimes shared across groups of circumcision initiates. A geographically stratified, cluster survey of acceptability of
MMC and improved instrument sanitation was conducted among 368 eligible Maasai participants in two Northern Districts of Tanzania.
Most respondents had been circumcised in groups, with 56 % circumcised with a shared knife rinsed in water between initiates
and 16 % circumcised with a knife not cleaned between initiates. Contrasting practice, 88 % preferred use of medical supplies
for their sons’ circumcisions. Willingness to provide MMC to sons was 28 %; however, provided the contingency of traditional
leadership support for MMC, this rose to 84 %. Future interventions to address circumcision safety, including traditional
circumciser training and expansion of access to MMC, are discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-7
- DOI 10.1007/s10461-012-0262-6
- Authors
- Aaron J. Siegler, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd NE, Suite 467, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Jessie K. Mbwambo, Department of Psychiatry, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Ralph J. DiClemente, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Journal AIDS and Behavior
- Online ISSN 1573-3254
- Print ISSN 1090-7165