Knowledge, attitude and practice study on female circumcision among University Female Students in Upper Egypt

ABSTRACT

This survey aimed to study knowledge, attitude and practice of circumcision among female university students of Assiut and South Valley. The study included 546 female students [406 from Assiut University and 140 from South Valley University]. The key findings of the study showed that knowledge of respondents about female circumcision was 99.5% among Assiut students compared with 100% for their counterparts in South Valley University. The study documented that 46.3% of Assiut students were supporting it versus 63.6% for South Valley students and that 34.5% of the first group had the intention to circumcise their daughters versus 38.6% for the second group. On the other hand, the study showed that 74.9% of Assiut students were circumcised compared with 98.6% for South Valley students. This practice declined as the educational level becomes higher. Again, there was a significant difference in FC practice between rural and urban communities. Religion has a significant impact on FC practice, especially in Assiut, where it comprised 86.8% and 35.8% for Muslims and Christians, respectively