Female genital cutting: current practices and beliefs in western Africa
Heather L Sipsma, Peggy G Chen, Angela Ofori-Atta, Ukwuoma O Ilozumba, Kapouné Karfo & Elizabeth H Bradley
Volume 90, Number 2, February 2012, 120-127F
Table 3. Odds ratios (ORs) for having undergone female genital cutting (circumcision), by sociodemographic characteristics, for women surveyeda in 10 western African countries, 2005–2007
| Characteristic | Sierra Leone (n = 7 631) OR (95% CI) |
Gambia (n = 9 926) OR (95% CI) |
Burkina Faso (n = 7 199) OR (95% CI) |
Mauritania (n = 12 498) OR (95% CI) |
Guinea-Bissau (n = 7 882) OR (95% CI) |
Côte d'Ivoire (n = 12 707) OR (95% CI) |
Nigeria (n = 24 207) OR (95% CI) |
Togo (n = 6 189) OR (95% CI) |
Ghana (n = 5 881) OR (95% CI) |
Niger (n = 9 164) OR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | ||||||||||
| 15–19 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 20–24 | 2.06** (1.50–2.83) |
0.83* (0.70–0.98) |
1.20 (0.93–1.54) |
1.08 (0.93–1.25) |
1.14 (0.83–1.57) |
1.11 (0.92–1.33) |
1.27** (1.07–1.51) |
1.47 (0.82–2.64) |
1.25 (0.64–2.48) |
1.03 (0.65–1.64) |
| 25–29 | 2.15** (1.52–3.05) |
0.74** (0.60–0.92) |
1.30* (1.03–1.63) |
1.17 (0.97–1.41) |
1.25 (0.82–1.90) |
1.13 (0.91–1.40) |
1.59** (1.33–1.91) |
2.66** (1.44–4.91) |
0.97 (0.48–1.96) |
1.81* (1.04–3.15) |
| 30–34 | 2.29** (1.57–3.32) |
0.75* (0.60–0.94) |
1.73** (1.40– 2.14) |
1.17 (0.94–1.44) |
0.95 (0.64–1.42) |
1.25* (1.00–1.55) |
1.90** (1.56–2.33) |
3.37** (1.90–6.00) |
2.01 (0.89–4.54) |
1.83* (1.03–3.26) |
| 35–39 | 2.89** (1.83–4.57) |
0.80 (0.63–1.01) |
2.05** (1.61–2.62) |
1.24 (0.97–1.59) |
1.46 (0.95–2.23) |
1.25 (0.97–1.62) |
2.20** (1.82–2.67) |
4.33** (2.43–7.70) |
2.05 (0.95–4.45) |
2.61** (1.41–4.82) |
| 40–44 | 2.40** (1.37–4.22) |
0.65** (0.50–0.83) |
2.54** (1.96–3.29) |
1.35* (1.06–1.71) |
1.01 (0.63–1.63) |
1.09 (0.83–1.42) |
2.90** (2.34–3.61) |
5.20** (2.76–9.77) |
1.78 (0.78–4.03) |
2.79** (1.47–5.30) |
| 45–49 | 2.15* (1.18–3.92) |
0.58** (0.42–0.78) |
2.34** (1.75–3.12) |
1.36* (1.05–1.77) |
1.17 (0.74–1.86) |
1.07 (0.80–1.43) |
4.41** (3.48–5.58) |
5.24** (2.59–10.57) |
2.70* (1.16–6.28) |
2.33* (1.18–4.60) |
| Educational level | ||||||||||
| None | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Primary | 0.52** (0.38–0.71) |
1.02 (0.75–1.38) |
1.13 (0.93–1.37) |
0.68** (0.56–0.82) |
0.52** (0.39–0.71) |
0.46** (0.38–0.57) |
3.75** (3.17–4.45) |
0.44** (0.31–0.63) |
0.56** (0.39–0.81) |
0.76 (0.40–1.45) |
| Beyond primary | 0.44** (0.33–0.60) |
0.88 (0.72–1.07) |
0.97 (0.62–1.53) |
0.56** (0.45–0.71) |
0.20** (0.11–0.34) |
0.38** (0.31–0.48) |
3.85** (3.19–4.64) |
0.46** (0.28–0.77) |
0.21** (0.12–0.35) |
0.21** (0.07–0.66) |
| Non-standard/Madrasab | – | 1.17 (0.53– 2.58) |
– | 0.57** (0.45, 0.72) |
– | – | – | – | – | – |
| Marital status | ||||||||||
| Never married | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Currently married | 3.53** (2.63–4.73) |
1.28* (1.05–1.56) |
1.55** (1.26–1.92) |
1.35** (1.15–1.57) |
0.86 (0.59–1.24) |
2.04** (1.68–2.47) |
1.18* (1.02–1.37) |
2.35* (1.24–4.47) |
1.37 (0.69–2.72) |
0.47* (0.26–0.88) |
| Formerly married | 3.49** (2.14–5.69) |
1.35 (0.99–1.84) |
1.74** (1.21–2.51) |
1.25* (1.03–1.52) |
1.06 (0.64–1.77) |
1.01 (0.82–1.25) |
1.26 (0.99–1.61) |
2.00 (0.98–4.08) |
0.78 (0.34–1.80) |
0.54 (0.19–1.50) |
| Wealth quintile | ||||||||||
| Lowest | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Second | 0.44** (0.27–0.73) |
2.20** (1.53–3.18) |
1.35* (1.06–1.71) |
0.34** (0.25–0.47) |
1.55** (1.20–2.01) |
0.44** (0.31–0.63) |
2.03** (1.58–2.62) |
1.12 (0.71–1.75) |
1.12 (0.69–1.82) |
1.93* (1.00–3.69) |
| Middle | 0.54* (0.32–0.94) |
2.22** (1.42–3.47) |
0.96 (0.77–1.20) |
0.13** (0.10–0.19) |
2.36** (1.67–3.35) |
0.41** (0.27–0.62) |
2.65** (1.96–3.59) |
0.89 (0.54–1.45) |
0.47* (0.25–0.87) |
1.86 (0.75–4.59) |
| Fourth | 0.34** (0.20–0.59) |
1.68* (1.08–2.64) |
1.60** (1.22–2.08) |
0.06** (0.04–0.09) |
2.31** (1.61–3.31) |
0.36** (0.23–0.55) |
4.11** (3.08–5.49) |
0.81 (0.47–1.40) |
0.27** (0.13–0.55) |
5.87** (3.15–10.94) |
| Highest | 0.22** (0.13–0.38) |
0.74 (0.48–1.13) |
1.66** (1.22–2.25) |
0.04** (0.03–0.06) |
1.11 (0.73–1.70) |
0.26** (0.17–0.41) |
2.83** (2.10–3.80) |
0.40** (0.22–0.72) |
0.40* (0.18–0.89) |
3.04** (1.42–6.51) |
| Religion | ||||||||||
| Non-Muslim | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Muslim | 2.01** (1.55–2.60) |
16.56** (11.09–24.73) |
1.87** (1.45–2.41) |
NA | 218.97**,c (158.69–302.15) |
7.22** (5.49–9.50) |
0.56** (0.46–0.68) |
26.90** (18.01–40.18) |
4.38** (2.52–7.63) |
0.03** (0.01–0.12) |
CI, confidence interval; NA, not available; *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01.
a In third round of Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.
b Non-standard education in Gambia and Madrasa education/Koranic school in Mauritania were included in the analysis due to the high percentages of women who selected these categories; as a result, education for Gambia and Mauritania was modelled as dummy variables instead of the ordinal sequence used for other countries.
c OR estimate is large due to low frequencies of non-Muslims having ever been circumcised and low frequencies of Muslims not having ever been circumcised.