Maternal experiences of multiple forms of intimate partner violence and associations with undernutrition among children under 5: evidence from 36 low- and middle-income countries based on demographic and health surveys.

IF 6.1 2区医学 Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH BMJ Global Health Pub Date : 2025-04-02 DOI:10.1136/bmjgh-2024-017114

Yifan Gao, Shuangyu Zhao, Yanan Zhou, Jiale Zhou, Kun Tang

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Abstract

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global issue and has various negative impacts on women and their children's physical and psychological health. Although the co-occurrence of multiple forms of IPV (ie, physical, psychological and sexual IPV) against women is prevailing, its negative effects on their children's nutrition remain neglected. This study aimed to explore such effects among children under 5.

Methods: We used a sample of 104 740 mother-child pairs from 36 low- and middle-income countries based on the Demographic and Health Surveys between 2005 and 2022. Pooled and income level-specific survey logistic regressions were performed to assess the associations between maternal experience of any form of IPV, multiple forms of any IPV, co-occurrence of different forms of IPV and number of IPV forms within the past 12 months, with child undernutrition.

Findings: Maternal exposure to multiple forms of IPV was significantly associated with an increased risk of child wasting (OR: 1·2, 95% CI: 1·0 to 1·4) and underweight (OR: 1·2, 95% CI: 1·1 to 1·4), while no significant association was found for stunting. Significant dose-response effects of the number of IPV forms were found for child wasting (p<0·05) and underweight (p<0·05). The co-occurrence of psychological and sexual IPV showed the most significant impact on child wasting (OR: 1·4, 95% CI: 1·2 to 1·8) across subtypes of co-occurrence. Most significant results were detected in lower- and middle-income countries. Children whose mothers were shorter than average, underweight, lived in rural areas and poorer families were more vulnerable to undernutrition.

Interpretation: This study highlighted the negative effect of multiple forms of maternal IPV on child wasting and underweight with a focus on the number of IPV experienced. Our findings called for enhanced policy-based efforts to end gender-based violence to protect the health and rights of both women and children.

Funding: This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 72074130).

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母亲遭受多种形式的亲密伴侣暴力及其与5岁以下儿童营养不良的关系：36个低收入和中等收入国家基于人口和健康调查的证据。

背景：亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）是一个全球性问题，对妇女及其子女的身心健康产生各种负面影响。虽然多种形式的IPV（即身体、心理和性IPV）同时发生在妇女身上是普遍现象，但其对其子女营养的负面影响仍然被忽视。这项研究的目的是在5岁以下的儿童中探索这种影响。方法：我们使用了来自36个低收入和中等收入国家的104 740对母子样本，这些样本基于2005年至2022年的人口与健康调查。采用综合调查和收入水平特定调查的逻辑回归来评估过去12个月内任何形式IPV的母亲经历、任何形式IPV的多种形式、不同形式IPV的共同发生以及IPV形式的数量与儿童营养不良之间的关系。结果：母亲暴露于多种形式的IPV与儿童消瘦（OR: 1,2, 95% CI: 1.0至1.4）和体重不足（OR: 1,2, 95% CI: 1.1至1.4）的风险增加显著相关，而与发育迟缓没有显著关联。结论：本研究强调了多种形式的母体IPV对儿童消瘦和体重不足的负面影响，重点关注了经历IPV的数量。我们的调查结果呼吁加强基于政策的努力，结束基于性别的暴力，以保护妇女和儿童的健康和权利。基金资助：国家自然科学基金（72074130）资助。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

BMJ Global Health Medicine-Health Policy

CiteScore

11.40

自引率

4.90%

发文量

429

审稿时长

18 weeks

期刊介绍： BMJ Global Health is an online Open Access journal from BMJ that focuses on publishing high-quality peer-reviewed content pertinent to individuals engaged in global health, including policy makers, funders, researchers, clinicians, and frontline healthcare workers. The journal encompasses all facets of global health, with a special emphasis on submissions addressing underfunded areas such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It welcomes research across all study phases and designs, from study protocols to phase I trials to meta-analyses, including small or specialized studies. The journal also encourages opinionated discussions on controversial topics.