The Impact of Social Marketing Programs on Combating Female Genital Mutilation in Sudanese Society: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

In recent decades, emerging nations have grappled with significant societal challenges in reshaping certain cultural norms, that are both ethically objectionable and detrimental to human well-being, such as the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). These deeply ingrained cultural practices lack valid justification, yield no discernible benefits, and result in persistent health risks and physical harm. FGM, acknowledged worldwide as a grave violation of human rights, is a form of violence directed towards women and girls, emblematic of gender inequality. Numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have substantially committed to addressing these societal concerns by employing scientific methodologies to eliminate these detrimental traditions. FGM, also referred to as female circumcision, remains one of the most alarming practices within underdeveloped and developing nations. It encompasses excisions or genital cuts, encompassing procedures that involve partial or complete removal of external female genitalia for non-medical purposes. The World Health Organization (WHO) characterizes female genital mutilation as deliberate procedures that cause modifications or injuries to female genital organs for non-medical motives. This practice carries an array of complications, ranging from urinary problems and bleeding to infections, and can even lead to childbirth-related complications resulting in newborn fatalities. Typically conducted between infancy and age 15, this practice breaches girls' rights to make vital decisions about their sexual
and reproductive well-being, as it is often performed without consent and frequently against their will. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) addresses the issue of FGM powerfully in Sudan. Numerous programs were issued by different NGOs besides UNICEF in order to mitigate the practice of FGM in Sudanese society. This inspires me to evaluate how society's attitudes towards FGM have shifted following the implementation of social marketing interventions. Despite the existing body of research on assessing the effectiveness of such programs in influencing the behavior of individuals subjected to FGM, there remains a gap in comprehensively measuring the influence of awareness programs on shaping the overall societal behavior regarding FGM. The objective of this study is to bridge this gap by creating and assessing an integrated conceptual framework. This framework draws upon the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), along with insights from social psychology including the Unified Theory of Acceptance and TAM2 to create a model that quantifies the
degree of behavioral change. The aim is to establish a comprehensive structure for investigating the influential factors that shape adopting the newly introduced behavior of discontinuing FGM within Sudanese society. Furthermore, this framework examines how Hofstede's four cultural dimensions at an individual level, along with a range of personal distinctions, moderate the key determinants impacting the behavioral intention to embrace the advocated practice of abandoning FGM. The study gathered a total of six hundred questionnaires from a representative sample of individuals who have enrolled in awareness programs addressing the risks associated with FGM. To ensure reliability and validity, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was employed, and the hypothesized conceptual model was assessed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in conjunction with multi-group analysis techniques. The findings of this study reveal that the independent variables Subjective Norms (SN),
Facilitating Conditions (FC), Voluntariness (VOUL), and Experience (EXP), in addition to other cognitive dimensions such as Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease Of Use (PEOU), will be the significant determinants of Behavioral Intentions (BI) and the Actual Use of FGM abandonment (AU). Also, the findings prove that there are differences between ethnic groups in terms of PEOU, PU, FC, SN, BI, and AU. The results of the Multiple Group Analysis (MGA) reflect that demographic factors have a moderation effect on the adoption of the new behavior of abandoning FGM. Collectively, the proposed model achieves an acceptable fit and
explains 26.32% of the variations of the direct determinants in the actual adoption (AU) of the promoted behavior. The outcomes indicate that when it comes to understanding people's
intentions and the contexts in which adoption occurs, factors at the individual, social, cultural, and organizational levels play a crucial role. Furthermore, this study contributes to existing
knowledge by demonstrating that the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) can be effectively applied in countries like Sudan, and it offers noteworthy insights that hold significance for theoretical advancement and practical implementation across individual, organizational, and societal dimensions.