Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26126529›Full record

ArticleSexually transmitted infections2015

HIV prevalence is strongly associated with geographical variations in male circumcision and foreskin cutting in Papua New Guinea: an ecological study.

David J MacLaren, W John H McBride, Gerard C Kelly, Reinhold Muller, Rachael Tommbe, John M Kaldor, Andrew J Vallely

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Sexually transmitted infections, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

David J MacLarenCollege of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
W John H McBrideCollege of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
Gerard C KellyInfectious Disease Epidemiology Unit, School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Reinhold MullerTropical Health Solutions Pty Ltd, Cairns, Queensland, Australia College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Rachael TommbeSchool of Health Science, Pacific Adventist University, Port Moresby, NCD, Papua New Guinea.
John M KaldorPublic Health Intervention Research Group, The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Andrew J VallelyPublic Health Intervention Research Group, The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea.
James Cook University · AUPacific Adventist University · PGPapua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research · PGUniversity of Queensland · AUUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo examine the correlation between HIV prevalence and male circumcision and other foreskin cutting practices across the four regions of Papua New Guinea (PNG).

designAn ecological substudy using unique data from an interdisciplinary research programme to evaluate the acceptability, sociocultural context and public health impact of male circumcision for HIV prevention in PNG.

methodsPublished data describing (a) self-reported circumcision status by region from the 'Acceptability and Feasibility of Male Circumcision for HIV prevention in PNG' study and (b) HIV prevalence by region from PNG National Department of Health were used to correlate male circumcision and other foreskin cutting practices and HIV prevalence. Maps were constructed to visually represent variations across the four regions of PNG.

resultsRegions of PNG with the highest HIV prevalence had the lowest prevalence of male circumcision and other forms of foreskin cutting and vice versa. Male circumcision and dorsal longitudinal cuts were strongly associated with HIV prevalence and able to explain 99% of the observed geographical variability in HIV prevalence in PNG (p<0.01).

conclusionsThe regional prevalence of HIV infection in PNG appears to be closely correlated with the regional distribution of male circumcision and dorsal longitudinal foreskin cuts. Further research is warranted to investigate causality of this correlation as well as the potential of dorsal longitudinal cuts to confer protection against HIV acquisition in heterosexual men.

Indexed as

Circumcision, MaleForeskinHIV InfectionsHumansMalePapua New GuineaPrevalenceTopography, MedicalCIRCUMCISIONEPIDEMIOLOGY (GENERAL)HIVPUBLIC HEALTH

Identifiers

PMID26126529
PMCPMC4680167
OpenAlexW2145422952

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.