Association between maternal level of education and female genital cutting in 1-14 years girls in Egypt. A secondary analysis of the 2014 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey.

Sammanfattning: Background Female genital cutting (FGC) is a persistent issue of global concern that carries various healthrisks on women and girls. FGC is almost universal in Egypt and despite continuous efforts, the decline of the practice is unsatisfactory. Maternal education is considered an important determinant of FGC among young girls, and it was suggested as a key intervention to promote the abandonment of this practice. This study aimed at investigating the association between the educational level of the mother and female genital cutting among young girls aged 1-14 years in Egypt. Methods This study is an analysis of secondary cross-sectional data extracted from the 2014 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey. The study sample involved 17,573 women of childbearing age. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the association between the maternal level of education and daughter FGC. This study also examined other background characteristics of the mother for association with daughter FGC. Results Of the 17,573 ever-married women, 54% had daughter FGC. Multivariate logistic regression showed that maternal education was negatively associated with daughter FGC. Mothers with primary, secondary, and higher educational levels had lower odds of daughter FGC compared to uneducated mothers. The study also showed that wealthier mothers were less likely to have daughter FGC, while mothers who were circumcised had higher odds of daughter FGC. Conclusion This study revealed that maternal educational level, among other factors was associated with female genital cutting among girls aged 1-14 years in Egypt.