Factors influencing adoption of male circumcision as a strategy against HIV/AIDS epidemic in Bondo District, Kenya
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to examine the factors influencing the adoption of male circumcision as a strategy against HIV/AIDS epidemic in female-to-male transmission, give recommendations on how to enhance adoption of this strategy to communities which do not practice circumcision in Kenya. The research objectives included establishing the influence caused by cultural practices in adoption of male circumcision as a strategy against HIV I AIDS infection in Bondo district.
The extent to which, individual acceptance to circumcision passage influences its adoption in Bondo district. Evaluate effects of the existing level of knowledge on HIV/AIDS risk reduction campaign through male circumcision. Determine how availability of essential facilities influences male circumcision strategy. The research methodology was descriptive in nature. The population of the study was 39,870 adult males living in Bondo district in Nyanza province (this is according to statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics of 2009). The sample size in this study was 383 male respondents identified using stratified random sampling and simple random sampling techniques and data collected by use of questionnaires.
Quantitative methods to report on the statistics included analyses of the data in terms of frequencies. Cultural practices by the Luo community was found to have influenced the adoption of male circumcision as the culture was deep rooted, minimally influenced from outside, and there was fear of disobeying it. However the culture could change given more sensitization on male circumcision if accepted in this community. Individual acceptance of male circumcision was found to have influenced adoption of male circumcision with factors like cost of circumcision, fear of pain and discomfort and well self preparedness and safety of the procedure being important. Individual knowledge level on male circumcision and HIV! AIDS was found to have influenced the adoption of male circumcision as a strategy. However most respondents had basic education and were aware of male circumcision.
The study established that the district has limited health facilities and medical staff to exercise circumcision to the respondents, while the government was not appropriately creating awareness of the circumcision campaigns in the district. The study concluded that the four identified variables that are cultural practices of the Luo community, individual acceptance to circumcision, effects of the existing level of knowledge on HIV I AIDS risk reduction and availability of essential facilities influenced the adoption of male circumcision as a strategy to mitigate against the HIV I AIDS epidemic in Bondo district.
The study recommends that the government should improve on medical facilities and create more awareness on male circumcision. However the study was only limited to Bondo district and also studied only the four variables. Further studies can be carried out on other factors that influence the adoption of male circumcision apart from the four main variables. Also the factors affecting male circumcision adoption to other non-circumcising communities like Turkana, Teso and other parts of Kenya can be studied in future.
Publisher
University of Nairobi, Kenya