Anita Raj1, Lotus McDougal2, Elizabeth Reed2, Jay G Silverman2. 1. Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA; Center on Gender Equity and Health, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine, Clinical Addiction Research and Education, Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: anitaraj@ucsd.edu. 2. Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA; Center on Gender Equity and Health, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess associations between marital violence and type of contraception among women in South Asia. METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using marital violence data collected during the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys from Bangladesh (n=3665), India (n=56357), and Nepal (n=3037). Data were pooled to assess associations of marital violence (physical or sexual) with modern contraception use (current spacing or sterilization). RESULTS: Sexual marital violence was associated with both modern spacing contraception (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-1.49) and sterilization (AOR 0.79; 95% CI, 0.70-0.88). Sexual violence was reported more often by pill users (9.8% vs 5.5% for non-users) but less often by condom users (4.5% vs 5.8% for non-users). CONCLUSION: Sexual marital violence might increase use of contraception that need not require husband involvement (pill) but decrease use of methods that require his cooperation (condom) or support for mobility, funds, or time (sterilization).
OBJECTIVE: To assess associations between marital violence and type of contraception among women in South Asia. METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using marital violence data collected during the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys from Bangladesh (n=3665), India (n=56357), and Nepal (n=3037). Data were pooled to assess associations of marital violence (physical or sexual) with modern contraception use (current spacing or sterilization). RESULTS: Sexual marital violence was associated with both modern spacing contraception (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-1.49) and sterilization (AOR 0.79; 95% CI, 0.70-0.88). Sexual violence was reported more often by pill users (9.8% vs 5.5% for non-users) but less often by condom users (4.5% vs 5.8% for non-users). CONCLUSION: Sexual marital violence might increase use of contraception that need not require husband involvement (pill) but decrease use of methods that require his cooperation (condom) or support for mobility, funds, or time (sterilization).