Prevalence Trends and the Associated Factors of Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya: A study based on Demographic and Health Survey

Trends and the Associated Factors of Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya： A Study Based on Demographic and Health Survey | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Trends and the Associated Factors of Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya： A Study Based on Demographic and Health Survey James Njuguna Wanjiru, Charles Karanja Wanjiku, Munawar Harun Koray This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5510378/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 06 Aug, 2025 Read the published version in Discover Public Health → Version 2 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract ABSTRACT Introduction: Female genital mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is a global health issue that has severe social and psychological consequences for women and girls. In Kenya, the prevalence of FGM/C varies by area and time. This study investigates the trends of FGM/C and the associated factors among reproductive-aged women in Kenya through four waves of Kenya Demographic Health Surveys (KDHS) from 2003 to 2022. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional study using data from the KDHS from 2003 to 2022. The study sample included 2003 (n=8175), 2008-09 (n=8442), 2014 (n=14621), and 2022 (n=16721) for women of reproductive age (15-49). Descriptive analysis was used to summarise the trend and prevalence of FGM/C. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of FGM/C. The level of significance was set at p-value < 0.05, at 95% confidence interval. Results: The prevalence of FGM/C among women of productive age in Kenya decreased from 32.2% in 2003 to 14.8% in 2022. Age, region, type of place of residence, education, religion, and wealth index were found to be significantly associated with FGM/C. Being Muslim (aOR=16.12; 95% CI:8.29-31.25) and attending higher education (aOR =0.15; 95% CI: 0.10-0.24) were factors that affected the prevalence of FGM/C. Conclusion: FGM/C prevalence in Kenya significantly decreased from 2003 to 2018, with further reduction expected, especially among younger age groups. Women's education plays a crucial role in this decline and should be prioritized in efforts to eliminate the practice. A multifaceted strategy addressing root causes is recommended. Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Kenya Demographic Health Survey Prevalence Trends Associated Factors Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 06 Aug, 2025 Read the published version in Discover Public Health → Version 2 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 18 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 21 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 17 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Apr, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 18 Mar, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 10 Mar, 2025 First submitted to journal 17 Feb, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5510378","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":426624734,"identity":"806d1a62-e43e-427a-94a7-5c57aeafff56","order_by":0,"name":"James Njuguna Wanjiru","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"The Technical University of Kenya","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"James","middleName":"Njuguna","lastName":"Wanjiru","suffix":""},{"id":426624735,"identity":"455b0766-a940-4ab9-a029-203c8dddfcc2","order_by":1,"name":"Charles Karanja Wanjiku","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Kenyatta University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Charles","middleName":"Karanja","lastName":"Wanjiku","suffix":""},{"id":426624736,"identity":"46ac81db-6ef3-40a9-866f-0902ae3485b7","order_by":2,"name":"Munawar Harun Koray","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA/ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCRBRIMHAD6QYG0AcZuYGIrQYSDBINoC1GAC1MBKlBYgOwLQwENAiH9387OEXA4s849uHD36cUfEnmr8dqOVHxTacWgzvHDM3ljGQKDY7l5YsueGMQe6Mw4wNjD1nbuPWMiPBTFrCQCJx2xkeM8aHbQa5DUAtzIxt+LSkfwNr2dwD0vLPIHc+IS3yEjlmkh+AWjbwALVsbDDI3UBIi4HMmTJpYCAnzjjDliw545hx7kagloP4/CI/u32b5I+KusT+HuaDH3tq5HLnnT988MGPCjy2HADGHQ+66AGc6kG2NACj7gc+FaNgFIyCUTAKAMqtWKHE1DPJAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Upper West Region Health Directorate","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Munawar","middleName":"Harun","lastName":"Koray","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-11-23 14:08:19","currentVersionCode":2,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5510378/v2","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5510378/v2","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00858-2","type":"published","date":"2025-08-06T15:57:13+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":88814106,"identity":"c3527d76-5880-476d-a6a5-df6a4111f44c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-11 16:06:49","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":426432,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"MainmanuscriptFGMmanuscriptKenya2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5510378/v2_covered_f1392451-ac1a-4ba2-9b9d-6ccf311a985b.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Trends and the Associated Factors of Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya： A Study Based on Demographic and Health Survey","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-public-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Public Health](https://link.springer.com/journal/12982)","snPcode":"12982","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/12982/3","title":"Discover Public Health","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, Kenya, Demographic Health Survey, Prevalence, Trends, Associated Factors","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5510378/v2","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5510378/v2","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"ABSTRACT\nIntroduction: Female genital mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is a global health issue that has severe social and psychological consequences for women and girls. In Kenya, the prevalence of FGM/C varies by area and time. This study investigates the trends of FGM/C and the associated factors among reproductive-aged women in Kenya through four waves of Kenya Demographic Health Surveys (KDHS) from 2003 to 2022.\nMethods: The study employed a cross-sectional study using data from the KDHS from 2003 to 2022. The study sample included 2003 (n=8175), 2008-09 (n=8442), 2014 (n=14621), and 2022 (n=16721) for women of reproductive age (15-49). Descriptive analysis was used to summarise the trend and prevalence of FGM/C. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of FGM/C. The level of significance was set at p-value \u003c 0.05, at 95% confidence interval.\nResults: The prevalence of FGM/C among women of productive age in Kenya decreased from 32.2% in 2003 to 14.8% in 2022. Age, region, type of place of residence, education, religion, and wealth index were found to be significantly associated with FGM/C. 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