RBAN AND RURAL PREVALNECE OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION TYPE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG SOMALI ETHNIC MOTHERS IN JIGJIGA DISTRICT, ETHIOPIAN SOMALI REGION, EAST ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Background: World Health Organization estimates that between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide have been subjected to one of the first three types of female genital mutilation. Estimates based on the most recent prevalence data indicate that 91.5 million girls and women above 9 years old in Africa are currently living with the consequence of this practice. Ethiopian Somali region has one of the highest prevalence of female genital mutilation in Ethiopia, yet there are no many researches done in the region so far that show the exact extent and associated factors among the Somali ethnic communities. Objective: To assess the urban and rural patterns of female genital mutilation type and associated factors among Somali ethnic mothers in Jijiga district, Ethiopian Somali region, Ethiopia. April8 - may 7 2016. Methodology: Community based cross sectional study design using quantitative method supplemented by qualitative approach was used. Data was collected using structured questionnaire for face to face interview of the quantitative (N=568) study. For the qualitative focus group discussion and in depth interview checklist was used. The data was entered and analysed using (SPSS 16). Bivariate followed by multivariate analysis model was used in this study. Results: Out of the 568 respondents studied, the prevalence of the type III FGM was found 85.2% in this study. Among the mothers, age (AOR:8.296, CI: 3.464-19.867), monthly income(AOR: 6.168, CI: 2.479-15.347), belief on infibulations influence on 10 marriage(AOR:6.067, CI: 2.609-14.105) and marriage decision (AOR:13.245, CI: 5.316-33.002) were found to have positive association with the type III with P value < 0.05. Conclusion: There is a great traditional/culture shift in the urban by which the pharoanic/ type III FGM type declining with promising rate and is being substituted with the Sunni type. Regarding the rural, the predominant type is the pharoanic /type III, where women across the different age groups are subjected