Attitudes towards male circumcision among Chinese and its implications

Routine male circumcision (RMC) has been found effective in preventing HIV infection in Africa; at the same time, incidence of HIV infection has been rising in China. Hence, RMC may be a possible means by which Chinese nationals could address increasing HIV infection rates. A focus group study was conducted to explore perceptions of RMC among mainland Chinese nationals. The results indicated that 1) 90% of participants considered RMC to be an unfamiliar and culturally sensitive topic; 2) 80% felt that being uncircumcised had not created significant health drawbacks for them or males they knew; and 3) the group believed that RMC would not be a good strategy to address rising HIV rates and were dubious about the idea of mandated RMC in China. For Chinese nationals, cultural traditions regarding RMC appear to outweigh concerns about HIV infection.