title: Reported Male Circumcision Practices in a Muslim-Majority Setting.
abstract: Introduction. Male circumcision is a recommended practice in Muslim tradition. It is important to ensure that this procedure is performed as safely as possible in these communities.Methods. Five hundred adult men and women with at least one male child less than 18 years were interviewed in Karachi, Pakistan, regarding details of their child's circumcision. The survey focused on actual and perceived delays in circumcision and perceptions about appropriate age and reasons and benefits and complications of the procedure. Circumcisions done after two months of age were defined as delayed.Results. Religious requirement was the primary reason for circumcision in 92.6% of children. However, 89.6% of respondents were of the opinion that circumcision had medical benefits as well. Half of the children (54.1%) had delayed circumcision (range 2.5 months to 13 years), even though 81.2% of parents were of the opinion that circumcisions should be done within 60 days of birth. Facility-delivered babies had less delay in circumcisions (49.1%) as compared to home-delivered babies (60.5%).Conclusion. Understanding the perceptions and practices around male circumcision can help guide national strategies for designing and implementing safe circumcision programs in Muslim-majority settings, with the potential to benefit an annual birth cohort of 20-25 million boys worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The Indus Hospital, Korangi Crossing, Karachi 75190, Pakistan; Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, 7-A Block R-3, Johar Town, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Abdul Wahid
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8737-4846
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Anwer
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, The Indus Hospital, Korangi Crossing, Karachi 75190, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Lubna
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6365-8796
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Samad
authors.affiliation: Indus Hospital Research Center, The Indus Hospital, Korangi Crossing, Karachi 75190, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Sundus
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iftikhar
authors.affiliation: Indus Hospital Research Center, The Indus Hospital, Korangi Crossing, Karachi 75190, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Naila
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0335-056X
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baig-Ansari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002944:Circumcision, Male; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007514:Islam; D008297:Male