Domestic Violence associated with malnutrition??!?!

While searching on the web I found this interesting article on an association between domestic violence and malnutrition in India. Just proves even further how all public health issues are interrelated.

In Women And Children In India, Domestic Violence Associated With Chronic Malnutrition

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health; Public Health; Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 26 Apr 2008 - 4:00 PDT

In a new, large-scale study exploring the link between domestic violence and chronic malnutrition, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that Indian mothers and children experiencing multiple incidents of domestic violence in the previous year are more likely to be anemic and underweight. The findings were published online in The American Journal of Epidemiology and will appear in an upcoming print issue of the journal.

"This is strong evidence that domestic violence is linked with malnutrition among both mothers and children. In India, the withholding of food is a documented form of abuse and is likely correlated with the perpetration of physical violence," said S V Subramanian, associate professor of Society, Human Development, and Health at HSPH, and co-author of the study.

The study population included 69,072 (aged 15-49 years) women and 14,552 children (12-35 months) from the Indian National Family Health Survey of 1998-99. The participants underwent face-to-face interviews by trained personnel, and the data collected included body measurements, blood samples, and information on women's and child's exposure to domestic violence in the previous 12 months.

The researchers found that women who reported more than one instance of domestic violence in the previous year had a 11% increased likelihood of having anemia and a 21% increased likelihood of being underweight, as compared to women with no such history. This difference was not explained by the mother's demographic information. The associations between domestic violence and nearly all nutritional outcomes were similar for children.

The data suggest a relation between domestic violence and malnutrition among women and children in India. The authors note that preventing domestic violence could be just as effective as a pharmaceutical approach in combating anemia among women. The authors believe that one possible explanation is empowerment, such that perpetrators of domestic violence often use several types of abuse, including physical and psychological, to control the behavior of their family members. In India, the withholding of food as a type of abuse could be a factor in the link between physical domestic violence and nutrient deficiencies that cause anemia and underweight. Additionally, domestic violence has been strongly associated with a woman's inability to make decisions for herself and her family, including the choice of types and quantities of food she prepares

The authors' second explanation is that the link between domestic violence and nutritional deficiencies may also reflect the effects of psychological stress. Women and children who experience domestic violence tend to have higher levels of psychological stress, which has been associated with anemia and being underweight.

The authors believe that reducing domestic violence is clearly important from a moral and intrinsic perspective, and that this study provides a compelling case to also address the problem from the perspective of health effects. "More efforts need to be focused on the 'non-health' aspects or 'social' conditions that influence health conditions, and domestic violence represents one such adverse social/contextual aspect that we've identified in Indian society," said Subramanian.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105188.php

Botswana here I come!!!

Just found out the other day that the department for Women, Gender, and Sexuality has decided to award me the money I need to be able to travel to Botswana. I am super excited about the conference and I am glad this is actually going to work out. Orientation is coming up pretty soon. I will be recording my experiences during that week. We are supposed to be doing literature research and group presentations during that week so I am glad I will have more specific knowledge on the research.

It just came to my mind that I haven't really explained what I will be doing this summer. Here is a little blurb on that:

For the MHIRT, I will be working at the University of Cape Town in the Gender Health and Research Unit under the direction of my primary mentor Dr. Lorna Martin, Department Chair, Division of Forensic Medicine, faculty of Health Sciences and my secondary mentor Lillian Artz, director of the Gender Health and Research Unit. During this time I will be involved in the Cape Peninsula Rape Homicide Study, a regional investigation of the incidence of rape homicide in the Cape Peninsula District, encompassing Cape Town and its surrounding townships. I will be responsible for collecting data about rape homicides from police investigating officers as well as abstracting data from the autopsies conducted by Dr. Martin.

I will also be learning about the other studies on domestic violence and sexual assault being conducted in the Gender Health and Research Unit. As part of this research team of students and faculty investigators, I will participate in research team meetings and be part of research presentations. Moreover, I will have the opportunity to spend time at the Gender Based Violence Research Unit of the Medical Research Council of South Africa where I will be mentored by Dr. Naeema Abrahams and Shanaaz Mathews and learn about Gender Based Violence research in that setting, as well as research addressing the interface of HIV and Gender Based Violence. Finally, I will have opportunities to observe general health care provision and sexual assault interventions at the University of Cape Town Hospital, nursing education classes at the University of Cape Town School of Nursing under the supervision of Dr. Sinegugu Duma, and visit the local domestic violence shelters.

And this is what I asked for in my grant submission:

To further enhance my summer experience of 2008, I am requesting funding to attend the International Congress on Women’s Health (ICOWHI) which will be held in Gaborone, Botswana from July 9th to 11th. The theme of the conference is “Women’s Health across the Life Span: The Girl Child, Safety, Health and Development.” During the three days of the conference I will be able to familiarize myself with the ongoing international research on this topic and expand my expertise. By participating in this program I hope to be able to better understand the cultural barriers that play a role in the delivery of care and the implementation of research studies. The conferences sub-themes are all related to my research and interest. Some of the topics include legislation related to the girl child, health policy and practice, HIV/AIDS and related issues, child caregivers, child trafficking and slavery, mental health and development, female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF), child abuse and substance abuse, and education and the girl child. Familiarity and competency will not only help me with my research in the short run, but also will allow me to become skillful in reaching my desired future career as a physician addressing health disparities specifically among women.

ok now to start studying for finals. will be posting during orientation week or if anything new comes up!