Page 248 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 2

STS489 Chibuzor C. N. et al.
Figure 3: Effects of mother’s age on the observed FGM/C prevalence among 0-14 years
old girls in Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal, with the corresponding time trends.

4. Discussion and Conclusion
In this paper, we have used advanced statistical approaches to model and
map the prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) among 0-14
years old girls in Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal using household-based data from
demographic and health survey (DHS) and multiple indicators cluster survey
(MICS) . The approach allowed us to simultaneously account for the individual-
and community-level factors that are key to the observed FGM/C prevalence
in the selected countries. For each country, we analysed a single dataset
obtained by pooling together all the available data from DHS and MICS
surveys in order to investigate trend and identify patterns. Significantly higher
likelihood of FGM/C associated with a girl who lived in urban region (Kenya);
who lived in rural areas (Nigeria and Senegal); who professed Muslim faith
(Kenya); whose mother was poorly educated; whose mother was circumcised
or supported FGM/C continuation; and a girl who comes from the lowest
wealth quintile household (Nigeria).
Finally, we found that rapid change to wards abandonment of the practice
has taken place in Kenya followed by Nigeria. However, we found no
significant decline in the practice in Senegal across the survey years.
The findings in this study, were able to suggest at least to an extent, where
and when changes are taking place in Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal. The
characteristics of the identified hotspots may be exploited by policymakers
and programme implementers in the design and evaluation of bespoke
programmatic interventions aimed at achieving a sustainable stable
abandonment.

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