The accuracy of women's reports of their partner's male circumcision status in Rakai, Uganda

We assessed whether women had accurate knowledge of their partners' male circumcision status using survey data (2010-2011) from Rakai, Uganda, and examined characteristics of women who misreported male circumcision status. Among couples in which men were uncircumcised (n=1744), 8.2% women misreported; and among couples in which men were confirmed circumcised (n=759), 1.2% women misreported. Younger women were 2.2 times more likely to misreport compared with older women. Misreporting was not associated with other sociodemographics or behavioural characteristics. If women are to act as advocates for male circumcision acceptance, there is a need to educate women, particularly younger women about the nature and recognition of male circumcision.