Association between mothers experience of intimate partner violence and under-five morbidity in Nigeria
Population studies
30
Issue: 2
(11 - 2016)
The aim of this study was to explore association between Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and illness in
childhood. The study was a secondary data analysis of the 2008 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey
(NDHS), involving use of a stratified, 2-stage cluster sampling technique to select 21,160 women with
at least one child < 5 years old. Main exposure was experience of past-year IPV prior to survey.
Outcome measured were risk of fever, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and diarrhoea within the past 2
weeks. The mean ages of women and children were 29+6.8 years and 27+ 17.1 months respectively.
Prevalence of past-year IPV was 72.6%. Main predictors of under-five morbidity were sexual and
physical IPV experience of mothers (AOR: 1.632; Cl: 1.419-1.879) and (AOR: 1.17; Cl: 1.02-1.36)
respectively. Interventions aimed at improving child morbidity status should target protection of
mothers from physical and sexual violence perpetration by partners.
Keywords: IPV, Under-five, morbidity, Association, NDHS
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