Knowledge and attitudes of Korean parents towards their son's circumcision: a nationwide questionnaire study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate knowledge about the foreskin and circumcision, and to understand the attitudes of parents to circumcision in Korea, where circumcision in childhood is widely practised with no particular religious or medical background. Subjects and methods A nationwide study involving questionnaires was conducted on 5500 parents with at least one son attending elementary school.Responses were obtained from one of the parents. Results The response rate was 76.1% (4183); circumcision was most common in boys when aged 11 years, followed by neonatal circumcision. Of the parents, 91.3% believed that circumcision is necessary, while 2.1% believed it to be unnecessary. The principal reasons given for circumcision were`to improve penile hygiene' (82.4%), followed by`to improve future sexual potency' (7.5%). Among those who did not believe circumcision to be necessary, the most common reason was the expectation of spontaneous retraction of the prepuce with age (55.1%). Most (88.4%) of the parents believed that smegma is not a clean material, and is infected by microorganisms. Most parents (80.6%) thought that circumcision would prevent genital tract infection of the future spouse. Peer pressure was one of the most in¯uential factors in deciding upon circumcision; 41.9% of the parents were anxious that their child might be ridiculed by his peer group unless he was circumcised, while 27.4% of the parents believed that their child might be ridiculed if he was circumcised. Mothers were more positive about circumcision than fathers (P<0.05). Parents with a higher education and higher socio-economic status were also more positive about circumcision (P<0.05). Mothers were prone to emphasize improved sexual potency (P<0.05). There was no signi®cant difference in response between urban and rural areas. Conclusion This study indicates that common beliefs held by parents about the prepuce or circumcision differ signi®cantly from current medical knowledge, and these beliefs have a major in¯uence on the practice of circumcision in Korea. More clinical research on the natural history of the foreskin is needed, and it is critical that both children and parents are informed about the potential bene®ts and disadvantages of circumcision.

Parental Concerns on the Circumcision for Elementary School Boys: A Questionnaire Study

“…In other report (11), the estimated percentages of youths circumcised highly correlated with family income and education of head of household. However, in our study, different from previous reports (4,7,10,11), there was no significant relationship concerning demographic characteristics, such as education level, occupation, income, and prescence of relatives whose works are related with medicine/paramedicine. Father' s circumcision status was an exceptional factor.…”

“…Father' s circumcision status was an exceptional factor. While the circumcision has been employed as religious marker in other western societies, such religious purpose did not serve in Busan like the report of Oh et al (4). Reasons for the difference between this survey and other reports are not entirely clear.…”

“…Better-educated parents, who are more likely to be exposed to the prevailing scientific wisdom favoring circumcision and to be exposed to significant social pressure to conform to this wisdom, circumcised their sons at greater levels than less educated parents. Socioeconomic differences between parents may reflect the greater tendency for mid-class parents to desire circumcision for their sons (4,7). In other report (11), the estimated percentages of youths circumcised highly correlated with family income and education of head of household.…”

“…However, there are only few studies on the circumcision in terms of parents' views. In Korea, so far, there is only one available data on the circumcision of children aged 10-13 yr (4).…”

Male Circumcision: Implications for Women as Sexual Partners and Parents

“…Mothers also cited improved future sexual potency as a reason. 27 Circumcision status of the father was the main determinant of the decision to circumcise an infant in one US study, 18 while another found ease of hygiene as the main motivator. 28 Still another US study found over 80% uptake of newborn circumcision despite differences in health care coverage status and race, indicating that economic factors did not outweigh social desirability.…”