ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Background: Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is a relatively new intervention that has been found to reduce sexual transmission of HIV among heterosexual partners by 60% when properly practiced. However, the poor acceptance of VMMC makes it difficult to accomplish the objectives of health policy to boost uptake. The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers to VMMC Uptake among married men in Kitgum municipality.
Methods: The qualitative descriptive design was employed in this study. The purposive sampling method was used to recruit 30 married men who lived within any of the three divisions of the municipality and had been married for at least one year. Data collection was done using an in-depth interview method. Inductive content analysis was used to generate the themes and categories.
Results: The study findings revealed that fear, financial uncertainty, involvement of female health workers, cultural beliefs, religious belief, sexual dissatisfaction and advanced age were barriers to voluntary medical male circumcision uptake among the married men in Kitgum municipality.
Conclusion: In Kitgum municipality, VMMC Uptake is still low, but the majority of the males had sufficient knowledge about it. We found the low uptake was primarily attributed to anxiety, involvement of female health workers, financial instability, sexual unhappiness, and advanced age. There is a need for proper re-packaging of the health education messages during mobilisations to address the anticipated side effects and to clearly state the reasons for the VMMC program. There is a need for proper re-packaging of the health education messages during mobilisations to address the communication gaps and to clearly state the reasons for VMMC program. Adequate psychological preparation of the men to expect any sex of staffs working in these clinics.
Ancia, M., Tirivanhu, C., & Wince, N. (n.d.). Causes of low uptake of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) as an HIV prevention measure among men aged between 18 and 49 years in Zimbabwe-A case of Mazowe District.
Arebo, B., Ewach, G. F., Omara, J., Oyella, P., Lucky, R. A., & Kabunga, A. (2022). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Coping Strategies Among People with HIV in Lira District, Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Auvert, B., Taljaard, D., Rech, D., Lissouba, P., Singh, B., Bouscaillou, J., Peytavin, G., Mahiane, S. G., Sitta, R., & Puren, A. (2013). Association of the ANRS-12126 male circumcision project with HIV levels among men in a South African township: evaluation of effectiveness using cross-sectional surveys. PLoS Medicine, 10(9), e1001509.
Bogdan, R., & Biklen, S. K. (1997). Qualitative research for education. Allyn & Bacon Boston, MA, USA:
Bronselaer, G. A., Schober, J. M., Meyer?Bahlburg, H. F. L., T’sjoen, G., Vlietinck, R., & Hoebeke, P. B. (2013). Male circumcision decreases penile sensitivity as measured in a large cohort. BJU International, 111(5), 820–827.
Byaruhanga, A., Mbona, N. T., Babirye, S., Nalugoda, F., Kankaka, E. N., Ampaire, L., Migisha, R., & Kagaayi, J. (2022). Women’s support for voluntary medical male circumcision in fishing communities on the shores of Lake Victoria, Uganda. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 1–9.
Cork, M. A., Wilson, K. F., Perkins, S., Collison, M. L., Deshpande, A., Eaton, J. W., Earl, L., Haeuser, E., Justman, J. E., & Kinyoki, D. K. (2020). Mapping male circumcision for HIV prevention efforts in sub-Saharan Africa. BMC Medicine, 18(1), 1–15.
Garenne, M. (2022). HIV prevention in Africa: is VMMC useful and acceptable? International Journal of Impotence Research, 1–3.
George, G., Strauss, M., Chirawu, P., Rhodes, B., Frohlich, J., Montague, C., & Govender, K. (2014). Barriers and facilitators to the uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) among adolescent boys in KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa. African Journal of AIDS Research, 13(2), 179–187.
Gibbs, G. (2007). The nature of qualitative analysis. Analyzing Qualitative Data, 1–9.
Hatzold, K., Mavhu, W., Jasi, P., Chatora, K., Cowan, F. M., Taruberekera, N., Mugurungi, O., Ahanda, K., & Njeuhmeli, E. (2014). Barriers and motivators to voluntary medical male circumcision uptake among different age groups of men in Zimbabwe: results from a mixed methods study. PloS One, 9(5), e85051.
Herman-Roloff, A., Otieno, N., Agot, K., Ndinya-Achola, J., & Bailey, R. C. (2011). Acceptability of medical male circumcision among uncircumcised men in Kenya one year after the launch of the national male circumcision program. PloS One, 6(5), e19814.
Huberman, A. M., & Miles, M. B. (2002). Narrative analysis. The Qualitative Researcher’s Companion. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Manentsa, M., Mukudu, H., Koloane, N., Ringane, A., Matta, E., Martinson, N. A., & Lebina, L. (2019). Complications of high volume circumcision: glans amputation in adolescents; a case report. BMC Urology, 19(1), 1–4.
Marukutira, T., Ussery, F., Kadima, E., Mills, L. A., Moore, J., Block, L., Bachanas, P., Davis, S., Schissler, T., & Mosha, R. (2022). Male circumcision uptake during the Botswana Combination Prevention Project. PloS One, 17(6), e0269178.
Masese, R., Mwalabu, G., Petrucka, P., & Mapulanga, P. (2021). Key challenges to voluntary medical male circumcision uptake in traditionally circumcising settings of Machinga district in Malawi. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1–11.
Mati, K., Adegoke, K. K., & Salihu, H. M. (2016). Factors associated with married women’s support of male circumcision for HIV prevention in Uganda: a population based cross–sectional study. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 1–8.
Mavhu, W., Hatzold, K., Dam, K. H., Kaufman, M. R., Patel, E. U., Van Lith, L. M., Kahabuka, C., Marcell, A. V, Mahlasela, L., & Njeuhmeli, E. (2018). Adolescent wound-care self-efficacy and practices after voluntary medical male circumcision—a multicountry assessment. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 66(suppl_3), S229–S235.
Mugwanya, K. K., Donnell, D., Celum, C., Thomas, K. K., Ndase, P., Mugo, N., Katabira, E., Ngure, K., Baeten, J. M., & Team, P. P. S. (2013). Sexual behaviour of heterosexual men and women receiving antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention: a longitudinal analysis. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 13(12), 1021–1028.
Murphy, E., Shwe, Y. Y., Bhatia, R., Bakkali, T., & Vannakit, R. (2021). What will it take to end AIDS in Asia and the Pacific region by 2030? Sexual Health, 18(1), 41–49.
Nzamwita, P., & Biracyaza, E. (2021). Factors associated with low uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision as HIV-prevention strategy among men aged 18–49 years from Nyanza district, Rwanda. HIV/AIDS (Auckland, NZ), 13, 377.
Ritchie, J., & Spencer, L. (2002). Qualitative data analysis for applied policy research. In Analyzing qualitative data (pp. 187–208). Routledge.
Ryan, G. W., & Bernard, H. R. (2003). Techniques to identify themes. Field Methods, 15(1), 85–109.
Saunders, B., Sim, J., Kingstone, T., Baker, S., Waterfield, J., Bartlam, B., Burroughs, H., & Jinks, C. (2018). Saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization. Quality & Quantity, 52(4), 1893–1907.
Yang, M.-H., Tsao, C.-W., Wu, S.-T., Chuang, F.-P., Meng, E., Tang, S.-H., Sun, G.-H., Yu, D.-S., Chang, S.-Y., & Cha, T.-L. (2014). The effect of circumcision on young adult sexual function. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 30(6), 305–309.
In-Text Citation: (Josephine et al., 2023)
To Cite this Article: Josephine, A., Grace, N., & Kabunga, A. (2023). Barriers to Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Uptake to Prevent HIV Transmission: A Qualitative Study among Married Men. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(4), 318 – 329.
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode