BackgroundIntimate partner violence (IPV) is well recognized as a human rights violation and a serious global health issue that has affected about a third of worldwide women at any given time. It is defined as physical, sexual, or psychological harm caused by a spouse or an intimate partner. Its short and long-term detrimental effects on women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health are well-documented. However, its effect on nutritional status is not well-studied, and previous studies have led to contradictory findings. This study aimed to explore the association between intimate partner violence and undernutrition among married Nepalese women of reproductive age.MethodThe 2016 Nepal Demographic Health Survey data was used in this study. This study used a modified version of the Conflict Tactics Scale to determine women’s exposure to IPV, and anemia and low body mass index as the proxies of undernutrition. Prevalence of IPV, anemia, and underweight were calculated across sociodemographic characteristics, and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association between IPV and undernutrition.ResultsAmong 3476 women included in this study, the prevalence of physical, sexual, and emotional IPVs were 21.75%, 7.42%, and 12.31% respectively. 13.78% of women were underweight and 38.95% were anemic. The adjusted odds ratio of physical, sexual, and emotional IPV survivors of being underweight were 1.06 (95% CI: 0.95–1.17), 0.96 (95% CI: 0.73–1.25), and 1.14 (95% CI: 0.89–1.43) respectively. The adjusted odds ratio of being anemic for physical, sexual, and emotional IPV survivors was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.93–1.09), 1.24 (95% CI: 1.02–1.52), and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.76–1.11) respectively.ConclusionNone of the three IPV types was significantly associated with being underweight. Among the three IPV types, only sexual IPV (SIPV) was significantly associated with anemia, meaning the increase in SIPV score by 1, which is experiencing an additional form of SIPV, increased SIPV survivors' odds of being anemic by 24%. Therefore, IPV screening should be a part of regular healthcare assessment for undernourished married women, especially for those who are anemic, and appropriate support should be offered to IPV survivors.