Prevalence and factors associated with female genital mutilation among women of reproductive age in the Bawku municipality and Pusiga District of northern Ghana

Table 1 Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents

Characteristics	Bawku Municipal (n = 415) N (%)		Pusiga District (n = 415) N (%)		Both Districts (n = 830) N (%)
Age group
15–24	158	38.07	139	33.49	297	35.78
25–34	126	30.36	136	32.77	262	31.57
35–49	131	31.57	140	33.74	271	32.65
Religion
Traditional	3	0.72	1	0.24	4	0.48
Christianity	37	8.92	55	13.25	92	11.08
Islam	375	90.36	359	86.51	734	88.44
Father’s Religion
Traditional	30	7.23	40	9.64	70	8.43
Christianity	21	5.06	61	14.70	82	9.88
Islam	364	87.71	314	75.66	678	81.69
Mother’s Religion
Traditional	21	5.06	26	6.26	47	5.66
Christianity	36	8.67	72	17.35	108	13.01
Islam	358	86.27	327	76.39	675	81.33
Ethnicity
Kusassi	80	19.28	97	23.37	177	1.33
Mamprusi	5	1.20	6	1.45	11	21.33
Busanga	302	72.73	204	49.16	506	60.96
Moshie	25	6.02	44	10.60	69	8.31
Hausa	1	0.24	10	2.41	11	1.33
Other	4	0.48	54	13.01	56	6.74
Marital status
Married	285	68.67	298	71.81	583	70.24
Single/widowed/separated	130	31.33	117	28.19	247	29.76
Education
None	246	59.28	225	54.22	471	56.75
Primary	57	13.73	83	20.00	140	16.87
Middle/JSS/JHS	90	21.69	65	15.66	155	18.67
Secondary/SSS/SHS +	22	5.30	42	10.12	65	7.71
Wealth Index
Poor	104	25.62	169	41.01	273	33.37
Middle	135	33.25	138	33.50	273	33.37
vRich	167	41.13	105	25.49	272	33.26
Circumcision Status
Yes	236	56.87	273	65.78	509	61.33
No	179	43.13	142	34.22	321	38.67
Most Important Reason for Practice
It’s necessary puberty rites	9	2.17	9	2.17	18	2.17
Control sexual desire	145	34.94	96	23.13	241	29.04
Continue a tradition	137	33.01	227	54.70	364	43.86
For social acceptance	100	24.10	65	15.66	165	19.88
Other	24	5.78	18	4.34	42	5.05
How to Stop FGM
Education	312	75.19	318	76.63	630	75.90
Prosecute practitioners	97	23.37	90	21.69	187	22.53
Alternative puberty rites	4	0.96	4	0.96	8	0.97
Other	2	0.48	3	0.72	5	0.60

ISSN: 1472-6874