Dataset Information

'The body we leave behind': a qualitative study of obstacles and opportunities for increasing uptake of male circumcision among Tanzanian Christians.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Male circumcision (MC) reduces HIV infection by approximately 60% among heterosexual men and is recommended by the WHO for HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. In northwest Tanzania, over 60% of Muslims but less than 25% of Christian men are circumcised. We hypothesised that the decision to circumcise may be heavily influenced by religious identity and that specific religious beliefs may offer both obstacles and opportunities to increasing MC uptake, and conducted focus group discussions to explore reasons for low rates of MC among Christian church attenders in the region.

Design

Qualitative study using focus group discussions and interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Setting

Discussions took place at churches in both rural and urban areas of the Mwanza region of northwest Tanzania.

Participants

We included 67 adult Christian churchgoers of both genders in a total of 10 single-gender focus groups.

Results

Christians frequently reported perceiving MC as a Muslim practice, as a practice for the sexually promiscuous, or as unnecessary since they are taught to focus on 'circumcision of the heart'. Only one person had ever heard MC discussed at church, but nearly all Christian parishioners were eager for their churches to address MC and felt that MC could be consistent with their faith.

Conclusions

Christian religious beliefs among Tanzanian churchgoers provide both obstacles and opportunities for increasing uptake of MC. Since half of adults in sub-Saharan Africa identify themselves as Christians, addressing these issues is critical for MC efforts in this region.

SUBMITTER: Downs JA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3657636 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

'The body we leave behind': a qualitative study of obstacles and opportunities for increasing uptake of male circumcision among Tanzanian Christians.

Downs Jennifer A JA Fuunay Lucas D LD Fuunay Mary M Mbago Mary M Mwakisole Agrey A Peck Robert N RN Downs David J DJ

BMJ open 20130528 5

<h4>Objectives</h4>Male circumcision (MC) reduces HIV infection by approximately 60% among heterosexual men and is recommended by the WHO for HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. In northwest Tanzania, over 60% of Muslims but less than 25% of Christian men are circumcised. We hypothesised that the decision to circumcise may be heavily influenced by religious identity and that specific religious beliefs may offer both obstacles and opportunities to increasing MC uptake, and conducted focus group ...[more]

PMID: 23793672

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundOver the past decade, 15 high-priority countries in eastern and southern Africa have promoted voluntary medical male circumcision for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention. The prevalence of male circumcision in Uganda nearly doubled from 26% in 2011 to 43% in 2016, but remains below the 2020 target level. Little is known about how common male circumcision is perceived to be, how accurate such perceptions are, and whether they are associated with men's own circumcision uptake.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of all adult residents of eight villages in Rwampara District, southwestern Uganda in 2020-2022. We elicited their perceptions of the adult male circumcision prevalence within their village: >50% (most men), 10% to <50% (some), <10%, (few to none), or do not know. We compared their perceived norms to the aggregated prevalence of circumcision reported in these villages. We used a modified multivariable Poisson regression model to estimate the association between perceived norms and personal circumcision uptake among men.ResultsWe surveyed 1566 participants (91% response rate): 698 men and 868 women. Among the men, 167 (27%) reported being circumcised, including 167/444 (38%) men <50 years of age. Approximately one-fourth of the population (189 (27%) men and 177 (20%) women) believed that few to no men in their own village had been circumcised. In a multivariable regression model, men who underestimated the prevalence of male circumcision were less likely to be circumcised themselves (adjusted relative risk (aRR) = 0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.37-0.83).ConclusionsIn this population-based study in rural Uganda, one-fourth of men underestimated the prevalence of male circumcision. Men who underestimated the extent of circumcision uptake were themselves less likely to be circumcised. If the observed association is causal and underestimates within the population contribute to low uptake, then interventions correcting these misperceived norms could increase uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision.

Dataset Information

'The body we leave behind': a qualitative study of obstacles and opportunities for increasing uptake of male circumcision among Tanzanian Christians.

Objectives

Design

Setting

Participants

Results

Conclusions

Publications

'The body we leave behind': a qualitative study of obstacles and opportunities for increasing uptake of male circumcision among Tanzanian Christians.

Similar Datasets

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