Abstract:
Background: Violence by an intimate partner is increasingly recognized as an important public and reproductive
health issue. The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which physical and/or sexual intimate partner
violence is associated with induced abortion and pregnancy loss from other causes and to compare this with
other, more commonly recognized explanatory factors.
Methods: This study analyzes the data of the Tanzania section of the WHO Multi-Country Study on Women’s
Health and Domestic Violence, a large population-based cross-sectional survey of women of reproductive age in
Dar es Salaam and Mbeya, Tanzania, conducted from 2001 to 2002. All women who answered positively to at least
one of the questions about specific acts of physical or sexual violence committed by a partner towards her at any
point in her life were considered to have experienced intimate partner violence. Associations between self
reported induced abortion and pregnancy loss with intimate partner violence were analysed using multiple
regression models.
Results: Lifetime physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence was reported by 41% and 56% of ever partnered,
ever pregnant women in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya respectively. Among the ever pregnant, ever partnered
women, 23% experienced involuntary pregnancy loss, while 7% reported induced abortion. Even after adjusting for
other explanatory factors, women who experienced intimate partner violence were 1.6 (95%CI: 1.06,1.60) times
more likely to report an pregnancy loss and 1.9 (95%CI: 1.30,2.89) times more likely to report an induced abortion.
Intimate partner violence had a stronger influence on induced abortion and pregnancy loss than women’s age,
socio-economic status, and number of live born children.
Conclusions: Intimate partner violence is likely to be an important influence on levels of induced abortion and
pregnancy loss in Tanzania. Preventing intimate partner violence may therefore be beneficial for maternal health
and pregnancy outcomes.
