title: Acceptability of early infant male circumcision among Chinese parents: strategy implications of HIV prevention for China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent evidence has confirmed that circumcision can be performed as a preventive strategy for HIV and early infant male circumcision (EIMC) is regarded to be safer than circumcision in adulthood; however, limited data are available in the literature about EIMC in China. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine the willingness and attitudes of Chinese parents on newborn male circumcision so as to provide data for exploring the feasibility of implementing EIMC as an HIV prevention strategy in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Simple random sampling was used to draw participants from parents who had a newborn son delivered at Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, which is affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, between March and December 2010. A questionnaire was used to determine general medical knowledge or information about circumcision, attitudes about EIMC, and level of decision-making on circumcision for the newborn son.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data derived from 558 responses were analyzed and the ratio of respondents was 56.3% for fathers and 43.6% for mothers. Of the respondents, 34.4% agreed to circumcise their newborn son, and the level of agreement was 3.25 ± 1.17 (range, 1-5 with "1" being "reluctantly agree" and "5" being "very strongly agree"). The major reason for EIMC was for health (44.8%), followed by doctor's advice (31.2%). The major reason not to agree to EIMC was concern about pain (50.5%), followed by the risk of the procedure (23.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The willingness and acceptability of EIMC in China is low and the parents of newborn sons are usually not very affirmative when making a decision on such a procedure, suggesting that significant effort will be needed if EIMC is to be implemented as an HIV prevention strategy for China.
authors.affiliation: State key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Urology, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, NO.123 Tianfeixiang, Mochoulu, Nanjing City 210004, China.
authors.forename: Lianjun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Aixia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002681:China; D002944:Circumcision, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*