A Spatial Analysis of the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting among 0–14-Year-Old Girls in Kenya
A Spatial Analysis of the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting among 0–14-Year-Old Girls in Kenya
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), also known as female circumcision, is a global public health and human rights problem affecting women and girls. Several concerted efforts to eliminate the practice are underway in several sub-Saharan African countries where the practice is most prevalent. Studies have reported variations in the practice with some countries experiencing relatively slow decline in prevalence. This study investigates the roles of normative influences and related risk factors (e.g., geographic location) on the persistence of FGM/C among 0–14 years old girls in Kenya. The key objective is to identify and map hotspots (high risk regions). We fitted spatial and spatio-temporal models in a Bayesian hierarchical regression framework on two datasets extracted from successive Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys (KDHS) from 1998 to 2014. The models were implemented in R statistical software using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques for parameters estimation, while model fit and assessment employed deviance information criterion (DIC) and effective sample size (ESS). Results showed that daughters of cut women were highly likely to be cut. Also, the likelihood of a girl being cut increased with the proportion of women in the community (1) who were cut (2) who supported FGM/C continuation, and (3) who believed FGM/C was a religious obligation. Other key risk factors included living in the northeastern region; belonging to the Kisii or Somali ethnic groups and being of Muslim background. These findings offered a clearer picture of the dynamics of FGM/C in Kenya and will aid targeted interventions through bespoke policymaking and implementations
Kandala, Ngianga-Bakwin
671d512a-76b0-427b-9ac2-ca6f79111070
Nnanatu, Chibuzor Christopher
24be7c1b-a677-4086-91b4-a9d9b1efa5a3
Atilola, Glory
ca7c892b-c34d-4cb9-934c-cc666333a743
Komba, Paul
b9557da1-50df-49ed-b974-35ae1f67c072
Mavatikua, Lubanzadio
ab576ce2-be39-4a9d-bdca-0a28a02f7001
Moore, Zhuzhi
8738ed99-5a7b-4dec-b937-3c8a9a7bc3a2
Mackie, Gerry
40acbd9b-1ec5-420c-b199-4adc902a48ee
Shell-Duncan, Bettina
2e2f0026-dc50-4c5f-8acb-eb3c41099189
1 November 2019
Kandala, Ngianga-Bakwin
671d512a-76b0-427b-9ac2-ca6f79111070
Nnanatu, Chibuzor Christopher
24be7c1b-a677-4086-91b4-a9d9b1efa5a3
Atilola, Glory
ca7c892b-c34d-4cb9-934c-cc666333a743
Komba, Paul
b9557da1-50df-49ed-b974-35ae1f67c072
Mavatikua, Lubanzadio
ab576ce2-be39-4a9d-bdca-0a28a02f7001
Moore, Zhuzhi
8738ed99-5a7b-4dec-b937-3c8a9a7bc3a2
Mackie, Gerry
40acbd9b-1ec5-420c-b199-4adc902a48ee
Shell-Duncan, Bettina
2e2f0026-dc50-4c5f-8acb-eb3c41099189
Kandala, Ngianga-Bakwin, Nnanatu, Chibuzor Christopher, Atilola, Glory, Komba, Paul, Mavatikua, Lubanzadio, Moore, Zhuzhi, Mackie, Gerry and Shell-Duncan, Bettina
(2019)
A Spatial Analysis of the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting among 0–14-Year-Old Girls in Kenya.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16 (21).
(doi:10.3390/ijerph16214155).
Abstract
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), also known as female circumcision, is a global public health and human rights problem affecting women and girls. Several concerted efforts to eliminate the practice are underway in several sub-Saharan African countries where the practice is most prevalent. Studies have reported variations in the practice with some countries experiencing relatively slow decline in prevalence. This study investigates the roles of normative influences and related risk factors (e.g., geographic location) on the persistence of FGM/C among 0–14 years old girls in Kenya. The key objective is to identify and map hotspots (high risk regions). We fitted spatial and spatio-temporal models in a Bayesian hierarchical regression framework on two datasets extracted from successive Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys (KDHS) from 1998 to 2014. The models were implemented in R statistical software using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques for parameters estimation, while model fit and assessment employed deviance information criterion (DIC) and effective sample size (ESS). Results showed that daughters of cut women were highly likely to be cut. Also, the likelihood of a girl being cut increased with the proportion of women in the community (1) who were cut (2) who supported FGM/C continuation, and (3) who believed FGM/C was a religious obligation. Other key risk factors included living in the northeastern region; belonging to the Kisii or Somali ethnic groups and being of Muslim background. These findings offered a clearer picture of the dynamics of FGM/C in Kenya and will aid targeted interventions through bespoke policymaking and implementations
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e-pub ahead of print date: 28 October 2019
Published date: 1 November 2019
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© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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Local EPrints ID: 458049
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/458049
ISSN: 1660-4601
PURE UUID: cbcd4c97-fdd0-47e9-9b2b-f0088211d7b7
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Date deposited: 27 Jun 2022 17:09
Last modified: 13 Jun 2024 02:02
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Author:
Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala
Author:
Chibuzor Christopher Nnanatu
Author:
Glory Atilola
Author:
Paul Komba
Author:
Lubanzadio Mavatikua
Author:
Zhuzhi Moore
Author:
Gerry Mackie
Author:
Bettina Shell-Duncan
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