Association between intimate partner violence and induced abortion in Cameroon.
(2010)
Journal - International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (Ireland )
Abstract :
To examine the association between intimate partner violence (IPV; physical, sexual, and emotional violence) and induced abortion in Cameroon.We used data from the 2004 Cameroon Demographic Health Survey (DHS) and hierarchic multivariate modeling to compare the rates of induced abortion by IPV type.In 2004, 2570 women were administered the domestic violence module of the DHS. Of those women, 126 (4.9%) reported having had at least 1 induced abortion. Cameroonian women reported high rates of IPV: physical violence (995 [38.7%]); emotional violence (789 [30.7%]); and sexual violence (381 [14.8%]). After adjusting for covariates, physical and sexual IPV increased the risk for induced abortion, whereas the association between emotional violence and induced abortion was not significant in multivariate models.Given the increased risk for maternal morbidity and mortality following unsafe induced abortions in Cameroon, the association between induced abortion and IPV is of interest in terms of public health. Programs targeted at preventing IPV might reduce the rate of maternal morbidity and mortality.Copyright © 2010 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Spousal violence and potentially preventable single and recurrent spontaneous fetal loss in an African setting: cross-sectional study.
(2009)
Journal - Lancet (England )
Abstract :
BACKGROUND: Spousal violence is a global issue, with ramifications for the reproductive health of women. We aimed to investigate the effect of physical, sexual, and emotional violence on potentially preventable single and recurrent spontaneous fetal loss. METHODS: We analysed data from the Cameroon Demographic Health Survey. In the violence module of this survey, women were questioned about their experience of physical, emotional, and sexual violence inflicted by their spouses. Respondents were also asked about any stillbirths and spontaneous abortions. We measured risk for single and recurrent fetal loss with odds ratios, with adjustment for intracluster correlations as appropriate. We also estimated the proportion of preventable excess fetal loss at various levels of violence reduction. FINDINGS: 2562 women responded to the violence module. Those exposed to spousal violence (n=1307) were 50% more likely to experience at least one episode of fetal loss compared with women not exposed to abuse (odds ratio 1.5; 95% CI 1.3-1.8). Recurrent fetal mortality was associated with all forms of spousal violence, but emotional violence had the strongest association (1.7; 1.2-2.3). If the prevalence of spousal abuse could be reduced to 50%, 25%, or entirely eliminated, preventable excess recurrent fetal demise would be 17%, 25%, and 33%, respectively. INTERPRETATION: Spousal violence increases the likelihood of single and repeated fetal loss. A large proportion of risk for recurrent fetal mortality is attributable to spousal violence and, therefore, is potentially preventable. Our findings support the idea of routine prenatal screening for spousal violence in the African setting, a region with the highest rate of fetal death in the world.
| ISSN : | 1474-547X |
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| Mesh Heading : | Adolescent Adult Cameroon Cross-Sectional Studies Educational Status Female Fetal Death Health Surveys Humans Interview, Psychological Logistic Models Male Prevalence Recurrence Spouse Abuse Young Adult epidemiology epidemiology prevention & control prevention & control classification prevention & control |
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| Mesh Heading Relevant : | etiology statistics & numerical data |
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Intimate partner violence and contraception use among women in Sub-Saharan Africa.
(2009)
Journal - International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics
Abstract :
OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between contraceptive use and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Sub-Saharan African women. METHOD: The data analyzed were from national Demographic Health Surveys conducted between 2003 and 2006 in 6 Sub-Saharan African countries: Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Women of childbearing age completed surveys regarding the use of contraception and about their experience of physical, emotional, and sexual violence inflicted by their partners. Analyses were conducted using logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 24311 women who responded to the violence modules, 39.8% reported that they had experienced IPV. Women who had experienced IPV were significantly more likely to report that they had used contraception compared with women who had not experienced IPV (odds ratio 1.30; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-1.38). CONCLUSION: Intimate partner violence appears to be associated with increased contraception use in the African setting. Among women who have experienced IPV, modern contraception is used more commonly than traditional and folkloric contraceptive methods.
The Impact of Paternal Involvement on Feto-Infant Morbidity Among Whites, Blacks and Hispanics.
(2009)
Journal - Maternal and child health journal
Abstract :
Few studies have examined paternal involvement in relation to feto-infant health; therefore we aim to assess the impact of absence of the father on birth outcomes among racial-ethnic subgroups. Florida vital statistics records for singleton births occurring between 1998 and 2005 were used for this study. Births to women less than 20 years of age and births outside the gestational age range of 20-44 weeks were excluded. Adjusted and unadjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were generated to examine the impact of paternal involvement, as defined by presence of paternal information on the birth certificate, on feto-infant morbidity across racial-ethnic sub-populations. There were higher rates of low birth weight, very low birth weight, preterm birth, very preterm birth, and small for gestational age (SGA) among father-absent births. Within each racial-ethnic subgroup, women with absent fathers had higher risks of poor birth outcomes than their counterparts with involved fathers. Black women with absent fathers had the highest risk of low birth weight, very low birth weight, preterm birth, very preterm birth, and SGA. Promoting paternal involvement during the perinatal period may provide a means to decrease the proportion of infants born of very low birth weight or very preterm, thus potentially reducing the black-white disparity in infant mortality.