Knowledge, attitudes and practices of Teachers about male circumcision as a method of HIV prevention: A case study of Lusaka District

Abstract

This study investigated the levels of knowledge, attitudes and practice towards male teachers undergoing male circumcision in Lusaka district. The study was conducted in Lusaka District and comprised a sample of 221 teachers from both basic and high schools. The sampling used two probability techniques; firstly, the schools were selected using stratified random sampling and secondly used systematic sampling to select the teachers. Data collection was undertaken using semi-structured questionnaire, in-depth interview with key persons and focus group discussion with teachers. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 16.0., while qualitative data was analysed using themes and verbatim. Almost all the teachers (98.6%) have heard about male circumcision as a measure to reduce HIV infection however there were some misconceptions among the teachers on the preventive ability of MC against infection of HIV. Some 16.5% of males and 12.1% of females still thought that MC provided one hundred percent safety against HIV. The study also found that the willingness to undergo MC was highly associated with sex and age. The study further revealed that 21.6% of the male teachers were circumcised while 25.8% of the female teachers reported that their male spouses were circumcised. Close to one third of the teachers (30.8%) were unwilling to undergo MC and this was mainly attributed to fear of pain and bleeding. Hygiene was the major motivation for teachers who underwent male circumcision Since teachers are agents of change, advocacy and awareness, programmes to influence teachers’ willingness to undergo circumcision should be designed.