Predictors of uncircumcised primary school girls’ intention to genital cutting in South Ethiopia: Application of theory of planned behavior

BACKGROUND: Female genital cutting (FGC) is still among the most common harmful traditional practices, especially in Africa and Asia. Despite the existence of rich evidence on the prevalence of FGC, information about the primary target audiences’ (girls’) intention toward FGC is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the predictors of primary school girls’ behavioral intention toward female genital cutting. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 08 to 28, 2019 in Dunna district, South Ethiopia. A two-stage sampling technique was used to select 354 uncircumcised female students. A self-administered pre-tested structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were entered into Epi data manager version 4.0.2 and exported to STATA version 16.0. Descriptive analyses such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were performed as necessary. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of primary school girls’ intention to experience FGC. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 13.09±1.69 years with an age range of 10 to 18 years. Of the 354 respondents, 156 (44.1%) intended to experience FGC. The model accounted for 76.58% of the variance in primary school girls’ intention to experience FGC. Among socio-demographic characteristics, mothers’ educational level of ≤8 grade (β = 1.95, p<0.001) and the age of the respondents (β = -0.23, p = 0.036) predicted primary school girls’ intention toward FGC. Among the constructs of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), direct perceived behavioral control (β = 0.47, p = 0.015), indirect perceived behavioral controls (β = 0.05, p = 0.002), and direct subjective norms (β = 0.18, p = 0.039) predicted primary school girls’ intention to experience FGC. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found that primary school girls’ intention toward FGC was high. The educational level of mothers and the age of the respondents had a great influence on primary school girls’ intention to experience FGC. Perceived lack of power and social pressure also predicted primary school girls’ intention to engage in genital cutting. The findings suggest that FGC is mainly performed by the decision of the parents irrespective of the girls’ preferences. Therefore, behavioral change communication interventions such as media campaigns, peer education and community dialogue guided by the TPB for empowering girls to confront FGC and reducing the influence of referents need to be focused.