title: Physical violence against pregnant women by an intimate partner, and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Mazandaran Province, Iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Violence against women during pregnancy is linked to poor outcome of pregnancy, which is reported to have widespread in Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of physical violence against women by an intimate partner during pregnancy, and to assess the impact of this physical violence on pregnancy outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort study was conducted on the characteristics of pregnant women in urban areas and related violence. The modified standard World Health Organization Domestic Violence Questionnaire was used to classify pregnant women and domestic violence. A total of 1461 pregnant women were selected using cluster sampling. The association between sociodemographic with intimate partner violence (IPV) and IPV with pregnancy outcomes was determined using logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of these, 206 (14.1%) (confidence interval = 12.3-15.9) reported physical IPV during pregnancy. The adjusted odds ratio for IPV in illiterate women or those with primary level of education (0.001), secondary level education (0.003), and in low income households (0.0001) were significantly higher than in those women with university level education and in higher income households. After adjusting for suspected confounding factors, the women with a history of violence by partners had 1.9 fold risk of premature rupture of membranes, and a 2.9 fold risk of low birth weight compared to women who did not experience any violence from their partners.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this research indicated that the prevalence of IPV was high among pregnant women. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize the screening of pregnant women at Primary Health Centers to prevent physical abuse.
authors: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors: Fatemeh
authors: F
authors: Abdollahi
authors: Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors: Farrideh R
authors: FR
authors: Abhari
authors: Department of Midwifery, Fatemezahra Infertility and Reproductive Health Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Ganjafroz, Babol, Iran.
authors: Mouloud A
authors: MA
authors: Delavar
authors: Department of Statistics, Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors: Jamshid Y
authors: JY
authors: Charati
keywords: Family violence; pregnancy outcome; pregnancy social epidemiology
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