Association of intimate partner violence and health-care provider-identified obesity

Abstract

We examined the association of physical and non-physical IPV (intimate partner violence) with obesity. Women (n=1,179) were surveyed regarding demographics, obesity, and IPV exposure using HARK (humiliate-afraid-rape-kick), an IPV screening tool. A three-level lifetime IPV exposure variable measured physical, non-physical or no IPV. Healthcare provider-identified obesity was defined if participants were told by a medical provider within the past 5 years that they were obese. Bivariate analyses examined obesity by IPV and demographics. Multivariable logistic regression assessed odds of obesity by IPV type, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, education and marital status. Among participants, 44% reported lifetime IPV (25% physical, 19% non-physical), and 24% reported healthcare provider-identified obesity. In unadjusted analyses, obesity was more prevalent among women exposed to physical IPV (30%) and non-physical IPV (27%), compared to women without IPV (20%, p=0.002). In multivariable models, women reporting physical IPV had 1.67 times greater odds of obesity (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20, 2.33), and women reporting non-physical IPV had 1.46 times greater odds of obesity (95% CI 1.01, 2.10) compared to women reporting never exposure. This study extends prior data by showing not only an association between physical IPV and obesity, but also an association between obesity and non-physical IPV.

Investigating the associations between intimate partner violence and nutritional status of women in Zimbabwe

“…Surprisingly, we did not nd any signi cant association between IPV and underweight, relative to normal weight. While this nding is consistent with some studies [74,85], others suggest that exposure to IPV increases the odds of being underweight [85,86]. These inconsistent ndings may be attributed to study population, demographic and socioeconomic contexts [18,26,85].…”

“…The ndings further revealed that women of reproductive age are at high risk of excess weight [31,73,74], as more than one-fth reported being overweight and about 12% obese. Several studies have reported overweight and obesity to be on the rise in developing countries [29,31,33], and risk factors such as high economic status, urban residence [75,76], and, indeed, intimate partner violence [77,78] have been implicated.…”

Management of prepregnancy, pregnancy, and postpartum obesity from the FIGO Pregnancy and Non‐Communicable Diseases Committee: A FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) guideline

“…If a woman is screened for anxiety or depression during pregnancy, further screening undertaken in the postpartum period should also be considered 124 . Intimate partner violence has also been associated with obesity 125,126 . Experiencing intimate partner violence is associated with weight gain over time and depressed mood further augments weight gained 127 .…”

Obesity in women who have experienced intimate partner violence

“…It is a persistent stressor in women's lives (Anderson & Saunders, ; Goodman, Smyth, Borges, & Singer, ) leading to a significant proportion of mental and physical health issues (Devries et al., ; García‐Moreno et al., ). Two studies have found a correlation between IPV and obesity (Sato‐DiLorenzo & Sharps, ; Silva, Irabor, Olowookere, Owoaje, & Adebusoye, ) and seven studies found that IPV was a predictor of obesity (Bosch, Weaver, Arnold, & Clark, ; Breiding, Black, & Ryan, ; Clark et al., ; Davies, Lehman, Perry, & McCall‐Hosenfeld, ; Mason, Ayour, Canney, Eisenberg, & Neumark‐Sztainer, ; Scott‐storey, Wuest, & Ford‐gilboe, ; Yount & Li, ). While the studies that used correlational and regression analyses provide valuable insight, they were limited in showing the pathway through which IPV leads to obesity.…”