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A Community-Based Intervention: Impact of an Educational Program in Exchanging Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Amal Ibrahim Khalil and Abeer Mokhtar Orabi

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a form of gender-based violence and a violation of female human rights. Although much work has been done to tackle this practice in Egypt, UNICEF (2016) has reported that the prevalence of FGM remains high in Africa and the Middle East.
Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of an educational program at changing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of school teachers towards FGM.
Methods: A quasi-experimental research design (one group pre/post) assessment was used, which included 30 female teachers selected from the Al Tonsi Primary School (mixed education: males and female) affiliated to the Ministry of Art and Education, Cairo, Egypt. Results: The included 30 Egyptian teachers (mean age: 36.93 ± 8.42 years) had a mean of 1.47 ± 0.0.73 daughters; the majority of which were university graduates, grown up in urban areas, and were married (80.0%, 73.3% and 86.6% respectively). Most of the respondents (86.7%) were circumcised; 77% by traditional birth attendants. The mean total knowledge about FGM was 11.7 ± 2.0.0 in the pre-test and increased to 27.4 ± 1.3 in the post-test (P<0.001). The mean total score for attitude toward FGM practices was 43.9 ± 6.8 in the pre-test and 26.5 ± 1.6 in the post-test (P<0.001). In the pretest, 20% of the respondents were willing to circumcise their daughters, with a significantly higher prevalence among teachers who grew up in urban areas (66.7%) than in rural areas (P<0.001). None of the respondents were willing to circumcise their daughters in the post-test. Significant correlations were detected between the age of the respondents and the total attitude score in the pretest (P=0.002), the number of daughters, and the total attitude score in the pretest and posttest (P=0.03 and P=0.01, respectively).
Conclusions and recommendations: The educational program was effective at changing the knowledge, attitudes, and future practices of female teachers towards FGM. Therefore, addressing mothers through ongoing educational activities is needed to increase their awareness about the dangers of FGC and to change attitudes towards its continuation.