Domestic violence and early childhood mortality in rural India: evidence from prospective data.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between domestic violence and perinatal, neonatal and infant mortality in rural India using prospective data.


METHODS
The study is based upon a prospective follow-up study of a cohort selected from the 1998-99 National Family and Health Survey-2 (NSFS-2), which was carried out in 2002-03 in four Indian states. Data for a total of 3909 birth outcomes that took place during this 4-year period were analysed using bivariate analysis and hazards regression analysis to control for truncated observations and possible other confounding factors. Findings After controlling for other potentially confounding factors, births to mothers who experienced two or more episodes of recent domestic violence experienced higher perinatal [hazards ratio (HR) = 1.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12, 2.79] and neonatal (HR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.11, 2.53) mortality, relative to births to women whose mothers reported no violence. Overall, these births to women who experienced violence had 68% higher risk of infant mortality compared with the 'no violence' group. Births to women who experienced a single episode of violence were not at higher risk of mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study provides additional and more conclusive evidence on the importance of domestic violence for early childhood mortality in low-resource settings such as rural India. The results argue for a greater focus upon such violence within current child survival programmes.
Koenig
Michael A
MA
Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Stephenson
Rob
R
Acharya
Rajib
R
Barrick
Lindsay
L
Ahmed
Saifuddin
S
Hindin
Michelle
M
D002648:Child; D046688:Child Mortality / Q000208:ethnology*; D002669:Child Welfare; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005192:Family Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
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