title: Intimate Partner Violence Against HIV-Positive Women is Associated with Sub-Optimal Infant Feeding Practices in Lusaka, Zambia.
abstract: Objectives The aim of this study is to determine how intimate partner violence against HIV-positive women affects safe infant feeding practices in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods A cross-sectional face-to-face survey was conducted with 320 married postpartum women at a large public health center in Lusaka, Zambia, in 2014. Variables were measured using previously validated instruments from the Demographic and Health Survey. Data were analyzed using simple and multivariate logistic regression in Stata 12. Results Thirty-seven percent of women report early mixed infant feeding prior to six months. Women who experienced intimate partner violence have 2.8 higher adjusted odds of early mixed infant feeding (p < 0.001). Women who experienced emotional violence, specifically, have 1.9 higher adjusted odds of early mixed infant feeding (p < 0.05), while women who experienced sexual violence have 2.3 higher adjusted odds (p < 0.01). There is also a dose-response relationship between IPV and early mixed infant feeding (p < 0.05). Lastly, disclosing one's HIV-positive status to the husband is associated with at least 67 % lower adjusted odds of early mixed feeding (p < 0.05). Conclusions Intimate partner violence against HIV-positive women, in particular emotional and sexual violence, increases the likelihood of early mixed infant feeding, putting infants at greater risk for both mother-to-child transmission of HIV and other infant morbidities. Intimate partner violence should thus be given increased attention within the context of infant feeding and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department Health and Behavioral Sciences, University of Colorado Denver, Campus Box 188, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO, 80217-3364, USA. Karen.hampanda@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hampanda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult; D015024:Zambia
keywords: Domestic violence; Exclusive breastfeeding; HIV and infant feeding; Intimate partner violence; Mixed infant feeding; Prevention of mother-to-child transmission; Sub-Saharan Africa; Zambia