Voluntary medical male circumcision: a cross-sectional study comparing circumcision self-report and physical examination findings in Lesotho.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Overwhelming evidence, including three clinical trials, shows that male circumcision (MC) reduces the risk of HIV infection among men. However, data from recent Lesotho Demographic and Health Surveys do not demonstrate MC to be protective against HIV. These contradictory findings could partially be due to inaccurate self-reported MC status used to estimate MC prevalence. This study describes MC characteristics among men applying for Lesotho Defence Force recruitment and seeks to assess MC self-reported accuracy through comparison with physical-examination-based data.

Methods and findings

During Lesotho Defence Force applicant screening in 2009, 241 (77%) of 312 men, aged 18-25 y, consented to a self-administered demographic and MC characteristic survey and physici

SUBMITTER: Thomas AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3226626 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature