Female Circumcision Clinical Trial
Official title:
A Community-based Participatory Intervention to Change Attitudes Towards Female Circumcision Among Somali Immigrants in Sweden: a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Female circumcision (FC) causes both immediate and long-term health consequences. In
general, the more severe type of FC, the worse health consequences can be seen. Despite the
negative health effects, the practice of FC is still found to be highly prevalent in many
countries, mainly in Africa and the Middle East. Many studies have been performed on FC in
African countries where the custom is widespread and there have also been many attempts to
eradicate the practice in these countries. However, considerably less research exists on FC
in non-practicing societies where there has been an influx of immigrants from countries that
traditionally carry out this practice. Further, no anti-FC interventions designed using a
comparison group have been performed in any country outside Africa.
This cluster randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a
community-based participatory intervention on changing attitudes towards FC among newly
arrived Somali immigrants in Sweden. Included in the research is an assessment of the
acceptability of the intervention. Based on social convention theory, we hypothesize that an
interaction between established Somali immigrants, thought to be predominantly opponents of
FC, and newly arrived Somali immigrants will facilitate changes in attitudes among the newly
arrived.
The trial will be implemented in two municipalities in Sweden that have a high proportion of
Somali immigrants. Somali organizations in these municipalities will constitute the
clusters. In total, 8 clusters will be included, 4 intervention clusters and 4 control
clusters.
n/a
Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Prevention