Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) Among Males in Zambezi Region, Namibia

Nairenge, Rosalia; Lukolo, Linda N

doi:10.51505/ijmshr.2021.5109

Cited by 1 publication

(5 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The findings of this study are supported by research undertaken by Nairenge 9 in the Zambezi region, Namibia, which confirmed that many men are discouraged from seeking medical male circumcision because they stay too far away from the facilities where it is provided and they cannot afford transport to go there. Similarly, the findings of a study by Nyoni 37 revealed the high cost of travelling to access circumcision services, that is, having fewer VMMC service providers’ acts as a barrier to VMMC.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 77%

“…Furthermore, some men do not believe that they are at risk of getting HIV, and generally males have lower health-seeking behaviour than women and are less likely to access HIV prevention. These findings are supported by those of Nairenge, 9 who revealed that some men do not want to be circumcised because they are afraid of surgery as well as the pain experienced during the wound healing period. Another study conducted in Malawi by Masese et al 34 stated that some males do not believe that they are at risk of contracting HIV, which is why they do not bother to go for VMMC.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 69%

“…This study found that another factor that can facilitate the improvement of VMMC uptake is to motivate or encourage males to seek medical attention and HIV prevention through campaigns. Similarly, a study conducted by Nairenge 9 in the Zambezi region, Namibia, recommended that the VMMC team incorporate behaviour change programmes in the extant community awareness campaigns so as to improve VMMC uptake.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Possible causes of Namibia’s high level of HIV infections include multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships; intergenerational sex; alcohol use; low condom use; transactional sex; population mobility; early age at sexual initiation; and, central to this analysis, low rates of male circumcision. 9 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although several studies have been conducted on VMMC, with some focusing on assessing the impact of age prioritisation on circumcision 6 and others on assessing the knowledge, practices, attitudes and responsiveness of males towards VMMC, 9 , 14 none of these has focused on exploring specifically the facilitators of, and barriers to, VMMC in particular in Namibia. Namibia is a culturally diverse nation; therefore, exploring the barriers and facilitators to VMMC can provide useful information regarding the low uptake of VMMC.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Facilitators and barriers to voluntary medical male circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy in Kavango East, Namibia

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is a strategy used to try to limit new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, as it has the potential to reduce HIV and/or AIDS transmission from women to men by up to 60%. However, in spite of efforts by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, only a few men in Namibia have been circumcised. The objective of this study was to explore and describe the facilitators of, and barriers to, medical male circumcision for HIV prevention in Kavango East, Namibia.Methods: A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design was employed. The accessible population in this study comprised 18 health professionals who were selected for the study using a purposive sampling technique.Results: Participants reported numerous barriers to VMMC in Namibia. Barriers to VMMC included ‘myths’ and misconceptions attached to VMMC, age limitations, fear of pain and stigma associated with HIV, small VMMC team and long distances from health facilities. Facilitators to VMMC included family support, having experienced genital sores and genital warts or phimosis and paraphimosis.Conclusion: The study revealed that a number of barriers must be overcome before VMMC before the desired number of men take advantage of VMMC. Multiple factors act as constraints to VMMC, including fear, myths and misconceptions, small VMMC teams and the long distance between clients’ homes and VMMC services.Contribution: The study’s findings can be used to develop targeted interventions and strategies that can be used by VMMC providers to address the identified barriers.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%