Parental attitudes and practices about circumcision in Izmir, Turkey

Parental attitudes and practices about circumcision in Izmir, Turkey

Background: The current study was carried out to investigate parental attitudes and practices about circumcision in Izmir, Turkey.

Methods and Findings: This study was performed in two training hospitals in Izmir. Questionnaires were filled out in face-to-face interviews with parents of 624 boys while waiting for their child’s well-child examination. Circumcision was generally performed by physicians (63.5%), in hospital conditions (52%), and primarily due to religious reasons (50.4%). We observed a statistically significant association between age of circumcision and educational status of both parents (p<0.05). Likewise, as the education level of both parents increased, the rate of circumcision performed by physicians also increased (p<0.05).

Conclusions: The traditional approach seems to be continued and circumcision is often performed due to religious reasons in Turkey. So, the parents should be informed about the benefits and risks of circumcision and the importance of psychological influences when circumcised at older ages.

Author(s):

Feyza Koc , Sadik Aksit , Gokhan Koc , Oya Halicioglu , Yuksel Yilmaz , Ozgur Cakmak , Huseyin

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