Peer-reviewed article
Intimate Partner Violence and Women's Dietary Diversity: A Population-Based Investigation in 8 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
Luissa Vahedi, Manuela Orjuela-Grimm, Pui Man Pamela Chan, Sarah R Meyer ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined whether intimate partner violence affects women's eating habits across eight low- and middle-income countries using national health survey data. The researchers found that intimate partner violence was linked to reduced dietary diversity in Nigeria, Kenya, and the Philippines, but had unexpected positive associations in Tajikistan. The findings suggest that the impact of violence on nutrition may vary depending on local food environments and how women cope with violence.
Key points
- Intimate partner violence was associated with lower dietary diversity in Nigeria, Kenya, and the Philippines
- In Tajikistan, physical violence was associated with consuming a higher number of food groups
- Most country-level associations were not statistically significant when examined individually
- Pooled estimates across all eight countries showed no significant overall relationship between IPV and dietary diversity
- The researchers suggest pathways may involve mental health impacts and coping mechanisms that affect food access
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional study that cannot establish causation or the direction of effects. The study cannot explain why associations differ across countries or clarify the specific mechanisms through which violence affects dietary intake.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) poses a significant threat to the well-being of women and girls and is a highly prevalent form of gender-based violence. Evidence regarding the nutritional implications of IPV has focused primarily on intergenerational relationships with child nutrition and growth. There remains a knowledge gap regarding the association with women's own dietary intake. OBJECTIVES: We investigated relationships between past-year IPV (physical, emotional, and sexual) and women's dietary habits, using the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women tool. METHODS: The data sources analyzed were the cross-sectional Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in Cambodia (2021, N = 5618), Nepal (2022, N = 4155), Sierra Leone (2019, N = 3808), Nigeria (2018, N = 8313), Tajikistan (2017, N = 4792), Cote D'Ivoire (2022, N = 3654), Kenya (2022, N = 10,717), and the Philippines (2022, N = 12,240). Utilizing multivariable generalized linear models, we assessed the overall relationship between women's exposure to IPV and 1) the number of food groups consumed and 2) minimum dietary diversity. RESULTS: Our results reveal heterogeneous relationship patterns between IPV and women's diet. Although none of the pooled estimates were significant and there were a large number of nonsignificant associations, IPV was associated with consuming a lower number of total food groups and reduced consumption of a diverse diet in Nigeria, Kenya, and the Philippines. There is evidence that in Tajikistan, physical violence relates to an increased number of food groups consumed. CONCLUSIONS: IPV is associated with altered dietary intake patterns within certain low- and middle-income countries. The directionality of associations may depend on local food environments and food access. Further research is needed to clarify the pathways underlying these findings. These pathways may involve impacts of IPV that influence diet and food access, for example, mental health symptoms and disorders and related coping mechanisms.