Assessing and improving self-reporting of male circumcision in Zambia and Swaziland

The Male Circumcision (MC) Partnership was established with the support of the Gates Foundation and PEPFAR to scale up MC services in Zambia, in collaboration with the Zambian government. The MC Partnership is a five-year project led by Population Services International (Society for Family Health, Zambia), in partnership with Jhpiego, Marie Stopes International (MSI), and the Population Council. The ultimate objective of this study is to provide researchers and program managers with evidence-based recommendations for the collection of self-reported data on MC status through an assessment of different methods to describe and explain MC. Specifically, the study assessed tools for improving the reporting of circumcision status, including a) a detailed verbal description of male circumcision, b) an illustration of a circumcised and an uncircumcised penis, and c) computerized self-interviewing technology.