Barcelona 2013
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| Abstract #614 - Social and Behavior Change Communication to Prevent HIV. Global impact. | ||||
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Session: 29.2: Social and Behavior Change Communication to Prevent HIV. Global impact. (Lunchtime) on Tuesday @ 13.15-14.15 in Raval Chaired by Michelle Kaufman Authors: Presenting Author: Prof Leickness Simbayi - HSRC, South Africa |
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| Additional Authors: Mr. John Miller, Ms. Kimberley Ibarra, Mr. Frank Wagner, | ||||
| Aim: Background: The National Plan for HIV/AIDS, STIs and TB (NSP) for 2012-2016 in South Africa calls for 80% of men aged 15-49 years? or 4.3 million men ? to be medically circumcised by 2016. Consequently, voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is currently being scaled up nationally in South Africa as one component of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy involving the use of evidence-based interventions for the prevention of heterosexually acquired HIV infections in men. This is being done through several national and provincial behavior change communication campaigns to increase demand for VMMC. The present study investigated the recent uptake and demand of MMC in South Africa | ||||
| Method / Issue: Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted on a nationally representative sample of 11 572 men aged 15 years and older as part of the 2012 national population-based HIV household survey. This study was based on responses to questions posed in one module on male circumcision which asked whether or not they were circumcised, and how (whether in a medical setting or elsewhere) as well as whether those who were not circumcised would consider doing so. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Results: Overall, the rate of self-reported male circumcision of all types was found to have increased to 45.5% in 2012, up from 38.2% and 40.6% found in 2002 and 2008 respectively. More importantly, overall 18.4% of the circumcisions were medical circumcisions in 2012, which increased from 13.2% in 2002 to 14.6% in 2008. While some provinces only showed very small increases or no change in the rate of men who were medically circumcised over the three surveys, some provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal (which consists mostly of non-circumcising Zulu-speaking people), Free State, North West and Mpumalanga provinces showed moderate increases in rates of medical male circumcision over the three surveys. Another important finding was that only 39.9% of men who were not circumcised indicated that they would consider doing so in 2012, which was only a slight increase from 34.9% of non-circumcised men who indicated they would consider doing so in 2008. | ||||
| Discussion: Discussion: Overall, these findings suggest that South Africa is lagging behind in terms of meeting its 2016 VMMC target according to the NSP 2012-2016. There is a need to find more evidence-based behavior change communication campaigns to create further demand for VMMC if the target is to be met and the potential benefits of VMMC as an evidence-based HIV prevention strategy to be fully realised in South Africa. This could possibly rely on leveraging on the wider acceptability of male circumcision especially in the communities which already practice traditional male circumcision. | ||||
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