Objectives: The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of female genital cutting (FGC) among women of reproductive age in Nigeria and identify the sociodemographic factors associated with the practice.
Methods: A secondary analysis of the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey was carried out in 38,948 women of reproductive age (15-49 years).
Results: The prevalence of FGC among respondents was almost 25%, most of whom (82%) had undergone the procedure when they were under 5 years of age. Traditional circumcisers performed 72.2% of all procedures. Type 2 was the common form (62.6%) of FGC. Almost a quarter of respondents (23.1%) wanted the practice to continue. Women aged 45-49 years were approximately twice as likely to have undergone FGC compared with women aged 15-19 years (odds ratio [OR] 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.99, 2.92; p < .001). Women from parts of Nigeria other than the North East zone were significantly more likely to have experienced FGC (p < .001). Women of Yoruba ethnicity were significantly more likely to have experienced FGC compared with women of Hausa/Fulani ethnicity (OR 4.86; 95% CI 3.03, 8.12; p < .001).
Conclusions: Our findings have programmatic implications for ending the practice of FGC in Nigeria. Elimination efforts should be intensified among women of Yoruba ethnicity. To instigate behavioural change, communication interventions should particularly target residents in parts of Nigeria other than the North East zone.
Keywords: Female genital cutting; Nigeria; Sociodemographic characteristics.