Prevalence of female genital mutilation among women in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation affects the social, psychological, spiritual and physical well-being of women. In Ethiopia, studies regarding the female genital mutilation were conducted in various settings and years. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis was aimed to summarize the prevalence of female Genital Mutilation in Ethiopia. METHODS: A systematic search of articles was conducted in PubMed, African Journals Online (AJOL), Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), SCOPUS, Web of Science, and JSTOR. Data were extracted using a standardized data extraction format prepared in Microsoft Excel. The data were analyzed using STATA version 11 software. Cochrane Q statistic was used to assess the presence of significant between-study heterogeneity. I(2) was used to quantify between-study heterogeneity. A leave-one-out sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis based on a study period and setting were done. The funnel plot and Egger's regression tests were used to measure the presence of substantial publication bias. The pooled estimated prevalence of female genital mutilation was conducted using a DerSimonian and Laird random effects model. RESULTS: The pooled prevalence estimate of FGM was 77.28% (95% CI: 55.81, 98.76). The pooled prevalence was higher in studies conducted from 2013-2017 (78.39%, 95%CI: 48.24, 108.54) and studies conducted in Hospital (92.02: 95%CI: 55.81, 98.76). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation is high. Therefore, interventions that are focused on health education, social support and advocacy are recommended.