Violence Against Women and Increases in the Risk of Diarrheal Disease and Respiratory Tract Infections in Infancy

Abstract

Objective:To explore whether different forms of violence against women were associated with increased incidence rates of diarrhea and respiratory tract infections among infants.Design: A 12-month follow-up study embedded in a food and micronutrient supplementation trial.Setting: Rural Bangladesh.Participants: Pregnant women and their 3132 liveborn children.Main Exposure: Maternal exposure to physical, sexual, and emotional violence and level of controlling behavior in the family. Main Outcome Measures:Infants' risk of falling ill with diarrheal diseases and respiratory tract infections in relation to mothers' exposure to different forms of violence. Adjusted for household economic conditions, mother's education level, parity, and religion.Results: Fifty percent of the women reported lifetime experience of family violence. Infants of mothers exposed to different forms of family violence had 26% to 37% higher incidence of diarrhea. Any lifetime family violence was positively associated with increased incidence of diarrheal diseases (adjusted rate ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.30) and lower respiratory tract infections (adjusted rate ratio, 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.46). Further, all forms of family violence were also independently positively associated with infant illness, and the highest incidence rates were found among the daughters of severely physically abused mothers.Conclusion: Family violence against women was positively associated with an increased risk of falling ill with diarrheal and respiratory tract infections during infancy. The present findings add to increasing evidence of the magnitude of public health consequences of violence against women.

Intimate partner violence and early child growth: a community-based cohort study in Nicaragua

“…In addition, controlling behavior might impair child linear growth by increasing the risk of lower respiratory tract infections and diarrheal diseases during the first year of life [4], which is in line with previous studies reporting that increased infectious illness frequency and severity are associated with poor growth [30,31]. …”

“…Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a widespread public health problem that affects millions of women worldwide [1] and has severe physical and mental health consequences for mothers [2] and their children [3,4]. Women who experience physical or sexual IPV are often also exposed to a high level of controlling behavior by their partners [1].…”

Association between intimate partner violence and child morbidity in South Asia

“…Studies in Bangladesh convincingly showed that children of women exposed to IPV have greater exposure to potentially dangerous conditions like diarrhea and Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) [ 4 , 36 ]. Impact of IPV on child nutrition has also been demonstrated by a few studies [ 3 , 40 ].…”

Women's exposure to intimate partner violence and child malnutrition: findings from demographic and health surveys in Bangladesh

“…2003). Higher odds of diarrhoea, respiratory tract infection and acute infant illnesses have been observed among the children of mothers who were exposed to IPV in Bangladesh (Asling‐Monemi et al . 2009a; Silverman et al .…”