Men undergoing medical circumcision at a community health centre: Knowledge and attitudes

South African Family Practice

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Men undergoing medical circumcision at a community health centre: Knowledge and attitudes
 
Creator Baloyi, Charles K. Ndimande, John V. Kabongo, Cila D. Yoko, Jean Louis M. Mpinda, Beya
 
Subject Family Medicine; Primary Health Care male medical circumcision; knowledge and attitude; HIV prevention; community health; HIV/AIDS; circumcision acceptance
Description Background: Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) and/or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome remains a significant global health issue, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Medical male circumcision (MMC) demonstrated effectiveness in decreasing the spread of HIV, more specifically through heterosexual contact with HIV-positive partners. Studies have shown a correlation between male circumcision and lower HIV prevalence, especially in regions where circumcision is a cultural practice. The purpose of the study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of men utilising the MMC services regarding circumcision.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a community health centre involving 164 male participants aged 18 years and above using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to determine means, frequencies and associations between knowledge and attitudes of men regarding male medical circumcision.Results: The median age of men seeking MMC services was 30 years, with hygiene cited as the primary reason by 88.4% of them. In addition, a majority (92%) were mindful of the advantages of circumcision in terms of lowering the risk of sexually transmitted infections and penile cancer (90%).Conclusion: Hygiene emerged as the primary reason for seeking MMC, contrasting with other studies where cultural and religious factors were more common. Despite significant knowledge levels regarding MMC’s health benefits, the overall attitudes towards the procedure were predominantly negative.Contribution: The study highlights a unique factor influencing the decision to undergo MMC in a community health setting and awareness of its health benefits.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor N/A
Date 2025-03-21
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Cross-sectional; quantitative
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/safp.v67i1.6010
 
Source South African Family Practice; Vol 67, No 1 (2025): Part 2; 7 pages 2078-6204 2078-6190
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/6010/9462 https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/6010/9463 https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/6010/9464 https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/6010/9465
 
Coverage Africa; South Africa 2018 age, marital status, level of education, employment status and sexual orientation
Rights Copyright (c) 2025 Charles K. Baloyi, John V. Ndimande, Cila D. Kabongo, Jean Louis M. Yoko, Beya Mpinda https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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