Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Cocuk Sagligi ve Hastaliklari Dergisi, cilt.46, sa.2, ss.114-118, 2003 (Scopus)
Circumcision is one of the most common surgical procedures in Turkey. We conducted a study in Gaziantep city center to determine knowledge, attitude and behavior of parents about circumcision and the circumcision status in their children. A total of 1207, boys, representative of the male students in the city center of Gaziantep, were included in this study. A questionnaire was given to the families of the students to gather information about whether or not circumcision was performed on their children and what they considered the appropriate age for circumcision. It was found that the boys underwent circumcision at a mean age of 2.19 years and that the procedure had been performed by a circumciser in 74.53% of cases. The rate of circumcision that was performed in a hospital setting was significantly higher among the families from high socioeconomic status or in which parents had graduated at least from elementary school. The mean age offered as the appropriate age for circumcision by the families was 1.7 years, and 72.83% of the families considered the hospital as be the appropriate place. It was advocated to perform circumcision particularly in the neonatal period owing to its potential medical benefits. According to our results, families from high socioeconomic status and those having a higher educational level had their children circumcised in hospitals, though the majority of the families wanted the circumcision to take place in a hospital, setting. Therefore, some economic precautions should be taken to increase the circumcision rate performed in the hospitals and families should be educated on this subject.