Associations between female genital mutilation/cutting and HIV: a review of the evidence.

This article reviewed current evidence of associations between FGM/C and HIV, drawing on evidence from peer-reviewed as well as grey literature. All studies evaluated were observational. This review investigated associations between FGM/C and HIV, not a causal relationship, and observational studies therefore sufficed. The final review included 14 studies from several African countries. The strength of the evidence overall was determined to be of low to moderate quality by Department for International Development criteria: conceptual framing, openness and transparency, cogency, appropriateness and rigour, validity, reliability, and cultural sensitivity. Findings were inconsistent: four studies found no association between FGM/C and HIV, six found a negative association, two found a positive association, and two found an indirect association. Many of the studies had significant deficiencies including insufficient statistical power, inadequate adjustment for potential confounders, and measurement of FGM/C status by self-reporting alone. The available evidence did not conclusively demonstrate the anticipated association between FGM/C and HIV. This review revealed the need for stronger study designs and outlines some considerations for future research. PMID: 31502923 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: African Journal of AIDS Research - Category: African Health Tags: Afr J AIDS Res Source Type: research