title: Male circumcision and HIV prevention: looking to the future.
abstract: Now that male circumcision has been shown to have a protective effect for men against HIV infection when engaging in vaginal intercourse with HIV-infected women, the research focus needs to shift towards the operational studies that can pave the way for effective implementation of circumcision programs. Behavioral research is needed to find out how people perceive the procedure and the barriers to and facilitators of uptake. It should also assess the risk of an increase in unsafe sex after circumcision. Social research must examine cultural perceptions of the practice, in Africa and beyond, including how likely uncircumcised communities are to access surgery and what messages are needed to persuade them. Advocates of male circumcision would benefit from research on how to influence health policy-makers, how best to communicate the benefits to the public, and how to design effective delivery models.
authors.affiliation: Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services, Semel Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. rbrooks@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Ronald A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Etzel
authors.forename: Lee E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Klosinski
authors.forename: Arleen A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Leibowitz
authors.forename: Sharif
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sawires
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Szekeres
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weston
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Coates
mesh_terms: D002944:Circumcision, Male; D003469:Culture; D005544:Forecasting; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009874:Operations Research; D057766:Policy