Abstract |
After a series of studies that revealed the protective effect of male circumcision against HIV infection, WHO/UNAIDS in 2007 recommended the adoption of safe male circumcision as one of the effective strategies in reducing heterosexually acquired HIV. To this effect, in 2010 the Ministry of Health in Uganda developed a circumcision policy, and circumcision was added to the strategy of abstinence, being faithful, and condom use (ABC) to protect against AIDS. Especially after the implementation of the safe male circumcision (SMC) policy, however, there has been a concern that some circumcised men may lead a more risky sexual lifestyle than noncircumcised men. This paper, therefore, examines the associations among circumcision status, age at circumcision, risky sexual behaviors, and HIV serostatus among men. The paper uses data from the 2011 Uganda AIDS Indicator Survey, focusing on a subsample of 7,969 weighted cases of men age 15-59 who have ever had sex and who have received their HIV test results. The paper examines associations between risky sexual behaviors and circumcision status among all men, and associations between risky sexual behaviors and age at circumcision among circumcised men. At the multivariate level, the paper establishes the independent relationships between circumcision status and age at circumcision, risky sexual behaviors, and HIV serostatus. |