A limited study on the perception and change in attitude about circumcision among health care professionals and their male family members

Abstract

Objectives: Millions of male children are circumcised throughout the world. We investigated the opinions and thoughts about the past and future aspects of circumcision by interviewing 100 male family members of the health care staff.

Methods: 100 male volunteers answered a questionnaire comprising questions about their personal observations, feelings, festivities and opinions about their own circumcisions as well as their views about the circumcision phenomenon as a parent, and the legality of circumcision.

Results: 81% of the volunteers in our study had been circumcised by traditional circumcisers. The rest had been circumcised by doctors (10%), barbers (7%) and sheikhs (2%). In 90% the circumcision took place at home, 7% in hospitals and in 3% in village squares. While 66% of the subjects do not remember anything, the remaining 33% reported some bad sensations like fear, pain and shame about their circumcisions, and 1 (1%) subject reported happiness. As a parent, they answered the questions on their preferences on the place and performer of the circumcision. 44% preferred to have circumcision performed in the hospital by a physician, 26% at home by a physician, and 30% at home by a circumciser.

Conclusion: There are significant changes in the attitudes of people in Turkey on circumcision as a traditional culture, though its perception has remained unchanged.