Skip to main content
Skip to main content

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search »

User menu

  • Login
  • AAP Policy
  • Topic/Program Collections
  • Submit Manuscript
  • Alerts
  • Subscribe
  • aap.org

Menu

  • AAP Grand Rounds
  • AAP News
  • Hospital Pediatrics
  • NeoReviews
  • Pediatrics
  • Pediatrics in Review
  • Current AAP Policy
  • Journal CME
  • AAP Career Center
  • Pediatric Collections
  • AAP Journals Catalog

Sections

    • Login
    • AAP Policy
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Alerts
    • Subscribe
    • aap.org

    Sign up for Insight Alerts highlighting editor-chosen studies with the greatest impact on clinical care.
    Video Abstracts -- brief videos summarizing key findings of new articles
    Happy 70th Birthday, Pediatrics! See top articles through the decades.
    Watch the Features Video to learn more about Pediatrics.

    Advertising Disclaimer »

    Tools and Links

    Pediatrics
    August 1987, VOLUME 80 / ISSUE 2
    Article

    Circumcision Decision: Prominence of Social Concerns

    Mark S. Brown, Cheryl A. Brown
    • Article
    • Info & Metrics
    • Comments
    Loading
    Download PDF

    Abstract

    Despite policy statements against routine circumcision of newborns by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology more than 10 years ago, there has been virtually no change in circumcision practices in the United States. In addition, controlled trials of programs to educate parents about the lack of medical indications for routine newborn circumcision have shown that parental education has little impact on the circumcision decision. We hypothesized that parents based their circumcision decision predominantly on social concerns rather than on medical ones. We prospectively surveyed parents of 124 newborns soon after they made the circumcision decision to learn their reasons for the decision. The strongest factor associated with the circumcision decision was whether or not the father was circumcised (P.0001). The survey also showed that concerns about the attitudes of peers and their sons' self concept in the future were prominent among parents deciding to circumcise. The circumcision decision in the United States is emerging as a cultural ritual rather than the result of medical misunderstanding among parents. In counseling parents making the circumcision decision, the health care provider should provide a knowledgeable and honest discussion of the medical aspects of circumcision. Until information is available that addresses parents' social concerns about circumcision, it is unreasonable to expect a significant change in circumcision customs in the United States.

    • circumcision
    • newborn
    • Received November 1, 1985.
    • Accepted August 5, 1986.
    • Copyright © 1987 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
    Full Text (PDF)

    Log in using your username and password

    Forgot your user name or password?

    Log in through your institution

    You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.

    Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 2 days for US$25.00

    Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.

    Offer Reprints

    PreviousNext

     

    Advertising Disclaimer »

    PreviousNext
    Email

    Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Pediatrics.

    NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

    Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
    Circumcision Decision: Prominence of Social Concerns
    (Your Name) has sent you a message from Pediatrics
    (Your Name) thought you would like to see the Pediatrics web site.

    Alerts
    Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
    Citation Tools
    Circumcision Decision: Prominence of Social Concerns
    Mark S. Brown, Cheryl A. Brown
    Pediatrics Aug 1987, 80 (2) 215-219;

    Citation Manager Formats

    • BibTeX
    • Bookends
    • EasyBib
    • EndNote (tagged)
    • EndNote 8 (xml)
    • Medlars
    • Mendeley
    • Papers
    • RefWorks Tagged
    • Ref Manager
    • RIS
    • Zotero
    Share
    Circumcision Decision: Prominence of Social Concerns
    Mark S. Brown, Cheryl A. Brown
    Pediatrics Aug 1987, 80 (2) 215-219;
    del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Technorati logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Connotea logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
    PDF
    Insight Alerts
    • Table of Contents
    • Current Policy
    • Early Release
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Editorial Board
    • Editorial Policies
    • Overview
    • Features Video
    • Open Access
    • Pediatric Collections
    • Video Abstracts
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Submit My Manuscript

    Back to top

                

    Copyright © 2018 by American Academy of Pediatrics

    International Access »

    Terms of Use
    The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) takes the issue of privacy very seriously. See our Privacy Statement for information about how AAP collects, uses, safeguards and discloses the information collected on our Website from visitors and by means of technology.
    FAQ

     

    AAP Pediatrics