Determinants of male circumcision as a preventive measure against HIV/AIDS in Busoga Region, East-Central Uganda.

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to investigate factors associated with male circumcision as a preventive measure against HIV/AIDS in Busoga region (East-Central), Uganda. The assessment is based on data sourced from Strengthening Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Response in East-Central Uganda (STAR-EC) during the period 2009 – 2012. The data comprised of 14,250 males aged 15-54 years; however, investigations were based on 1,847 males who had been circumcised. The reason for undertaking the procedure was investigated using a binary outcome – whether one was circumcised as a preventive measure against HIV/AIDS or not. A descriptive summary of the status of circumcision for HIV/AIDS prevention, socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and perceptions on HIV/AIDS as well as enabling and behavioural factors related to HIV/AIDS was made using frequency distributions and summary statistics at the univariate analysis. The likelihood of undertaking the procedure for HIV/AIDS prevention was modelled at the multivariate analysis using a logistic regression. In the results, slightly less than one-in-every four males (23.7%) affirmed to undertaking circumcision as a preventive measure against HIV/AIDS. Increased odds of circumcision as a preventive measure against HIV/AIDS are noted among males who received circumcision from government health facilitates, males aged below 30 years and those who received the circumcision in the recent past (2011-2012). Further, males who had never had sexual intercourse were less likely to be circumcised for the purpose. The findings demonstrate success attained towards having all males in the region and/or country circumcised; however, optimal coverage of circumcised males will certainly not be attained by 2015. Thus, strategies for enhancing MC as a preventive measure against HIV/AIDS need to promote: circumcision of males at all ages irrespective of whether they have ever had sexual intercourse or not; MC in well-equipped private health facilities; interactions between traditional and medical male circumcision; and, campaigns about positive health effects of MC as a preventive measure against HIV/AIDS, particularly among males at lower education levels.