Page 191 - SAHCS HIVMed Journal Vol 20 No 1 2019

Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine
ISSN: (Online) 2078-6751, (Print) 1608-9693
Page 1 of 6 Original Research

Knowledge and perceptions of male immigrants in

Leeds (UK) towards male circumcision as an HIV

prevention strategy

Authors: Background: The World Health Organization has accepted and recommended medical
Catherine Atuhaire 1 male circumcision (MMC) as an HIV prevention strategy. Despite the advantages of MMC,
Kabanda Taseera
1
Chris Spoor 2 the rate of uptake of this practice among immigrants and the general population in the
Rosaline Y. Cumber United Kingdom (UK) is low, yet the procedure is provided in public and private health
3
4,5
Samuel N. Cumber facilities. The role of negative perception and its contribution to low circumcision rates is
unknown.
Affiliations:
1 Department of Nursing, Objectives: Since immigrants are a key group that is vulnerable to HIV in the UK, this study
Faculty of Medicine, Mbarara
University of Science and aimed at understanding their knowledge and perceptions with regard to MMC.
Technology, Mbarara, Uganda Methods: We enrolled 10 participants who were purposively selected using snowball
recruitment methods. Data were collected during individual in-depth interviews using semi-
2 Faculty of Health Science,
Leeds Beckett University, structured interview guides. Responses were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed using
Leeds, United Kingdom thematic analysis. Appropriate themes were generated from the data collected.
3 Faculty of Political Science, Results: We found that the majority looked at male circumcision (MC) as a practice to
University of Kwazulu-Natal, fulfill their cultural and religious obligations rather than as an HIV protection method.
Durban, South Africa Few participants showed belief and certainty that MC or MMC was effective in HIV
prevention hence limited knowledge. They also expressed perceived danger. This included
4 Section for Epidemiology
and Social Medicine, fear of pain, complications from the procedure and possible infections when carried
Department of Public Health, out through traditional means. These dangers discouraged study participants from
Institute of Medicine, The accessing MMC.
Sahlgrenska Academy at
University of Gothenburg, Conclusion: Male circumcision is mainly practiced to fulfill cultural and religious norms, but
Gothenburg, Sweden is not seen as a credible HIV prevention strategy.

5 Faculty of Health Sciences, Keywords: male circumcision; knowledge; perceptions; HIV prevention; United Kingdom.
University of the Free State,
Bloemfontein, South Africa
Introduction
Corresponding author:
Samuel Cumber, Medical male circumcision (MMC) is a globally accepted and recommended HIV prevention
[email protected]
strategy. However, the success of this strategy depends on its uptake within the community,
1,2
Dates: something consequent upon cultural acceptance, knowledge and perceptions of its effectiveness
Received: 20 Dec. 2017 in the prevention of HIV transmission.
Accepted: 05 Feb. 2019
Published: 31 Oct. 2019
In the United Kingdom (UK), the prevalence of HIV among immigrants, especially those from
southern and eastern Africa, is higher than that of the indigenous population, namely 25 per 1000
men and 50 per 1000 women versus 2.1 per 1000 men and 1 per 1000 women, respectively. This
3,4
is partly attributed to the high prevalence rates of HIV infection in the home countries of
immigrants and, as some argue, to complacency with regard to HIV prevention. 5

Behavioural change is an important instrument in the public health promotion of MMC. For
change and acceptability to happen, people’s knowledge and perceptions have to change.
6
We conducted in-depth interviews to assess the knowledge and perceptions of circumcision as an
HIV prevention tool among male immigrants from southern and eastern Africa, but currently
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Copyright: © 2019. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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