Peer-reviewed article
The Economic Burden of Intimate Partner Violence in Colombia: Estimated Health Costs Among Females Aged 13–24
Derek S. Brown, Melissa Meinhart, Catherine Poulton, Lindsay Stark ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study calculated the health costs of physical intimate partner violence (IPV) among girls and young women aged 13–24 in Colombia using national survey data. The total annual health burden was estimated at $90.6 million USD, with nearly 40% of costs occurring among the 24% of the population affected by armed conflict. At least 16% of all health spending for this age group in Colombia is attributable to physical IPV, indicating it is a major preventable health problem.
Key points
- Physical IPV among females aged 13–24 in Colombia caused a single-year health burden of $90.6 million USD
- Conflict-affected females, who represent 24% of the population, accounted for nearly 40% of the economic burden of IPV
- At least 16% of total health costs for females aged 13–24 in Colombia stems from physical IPV
- The study used nationally representative VACS data from 2018 and estimated health outcomes, population attributable fractions, disability-adjusted life years, and associated costs
- The research demonstrates IPV is a preventable epidemic requiring multi-lateral and government investment
Limitations
This is a costing study based on prevalence data and does not evaluate an intervention or track outcomes over time. The analysis focuses on physical IPV only and does not quantify costs from psychological or sexual violence, so the true economic burden may be substantially higher.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most pervasive form of gender-based violence, often first experienced in adolescence. While the prevalence of IPV is known to be exacerbated in humanitarian settings, little is known in regard to the economic burden of IPV between conflict-affected and non-conflicted-affected groups of women and girls. This top-down costing study examines the total health burden of physical IPV in Colombia, and whether these costs differ by conflict exposure. METHODS: We utilized a nationally representative sample of 13-24-year-old females from the Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS) in Colombia conducted in 2018. Using physical IPV prevalence, the analysis was conducted in four steps: 1) estimate the relative risk of seven IPV-associated health outcomes among the sample and subgroups, 2) estimate the population attributable fraction of IPV for each health outcome, 3) quantify the burden of IPV in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and 4) assign health costs in US dollars to the estimated DALYs. RESULTS: We found that the single year health burden associated with physical IPV was $90.6 million USD. Moreover, nearly 40% of the economic burden of physical IPV among females aged 13-24 in Colombia was from those who were conflict-affected (24%). CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that at least 16% of the overall health costs among females 13-24 in Colombia is from the preventable epidemic of physical IPV. In order to prevent and mitigate the costs of gender-based violence, multi-lateral and government investment is critically needed to prevent IPV and support women and girls.