Intimate partner violence and infant morbidity: evidence of an association from a population-based study in eastern Uganda in 2003

Charles AS Karamagi¹^,2^,3 , James K Tumwine¹ , Thorkild Tylleskar³ and Kristian Heggenhougen³^,4

¹Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.

²Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.

³Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Armauer Hansen Bldg, N-5021 Bergen, Norway.

⁴Department of International Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, T4W, Boston, MA 02118, USA.

author email corresponding author email

BMC Pediatrics 2007, 7:34doi:10.1186/1471-2431-7-34


Published:	7 November 2007

Abstract

Background

Although recent studies suggest that there is an association between intimate partner violence and child mortality, the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. It is against this background that as a secondary objective, we set out to explore whether an association exists between intimate partner violence and illness in infants.

Methods

We conducted a population based household survey in Mbale, eastern Uganda in 2003. Participants were 457 women (with 457 infants) who consented to participate in the study. We measured socio-demographics of women and occurrence of intimate partner violence. We measured socio-demographics, immunization, nutritional status, and illness in the previous two weeks of the children.

Results

The mean age of the women was 25 years (SD 5.7) while the mean age of the infants was 6 months (SD 3.5). The prevalence of lifetime intimate partner violence was 54% (95% CI 48%–60%). During the previous two weeks, 50% (95% CI 50%–54%) of the children had illness (fever, diarrhoea, cough and fast breathing). Lifetime intimate partner violence was associated with infant illness (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2–2.8) and diarrhoea (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2–3.4).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that infant illnesses (fever, diarrhoea, cough and fast breathing) are associated with intimate partner violence, and provide insights into previous reports that have shown an association between intimate partner violence and child mortality, suggesting possible underlying mechanisms. Our findings also highlight the importance of intimate partner violence on the health of children, and the need for further research in this area.