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Association between intimate partner violence and induced abortion in Cameroon
Authors: Alio AP, Salihu HM, Nana PN, Clayton HB, Mbah AK, Marty PJ.
Source: International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Feb;112(2):83-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2010.08.024. Epub 2010 Dec 4.
Topic(s): Abortion
Domestic violence
Country: Africa
  Cameroon
Published: FEB 2011
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between intimate partner violence (IPV; physical, sexual, and emotional violence) and induced abortion in Cameroon. METHODS: We used data from the 2004 Cameroon Demographic Health Survey (DHS) and hierarchic multivariate modeling to compare the rates of induced abortion by IPV type. RESULTS: In 2004, 2570 women were administered the domestic violence module of the DHS. Of those women, 126 (4.9%) reported having had at least 1 induced abortion. Cameroonian women reported high rates of IPV: physical violence (995 [38.7%]); emotional violence (789 [30.7%]); and sexual violence (381 [14.8%]). After adjusting for covariates, physical and sexual IPV increased the risk for induced abortion, whereas the association between emotional violence and induced abortion was not significant in multivariate models. CONCLUSION: Given the increased risk for maternal morbidity and mortality following unsafe induced abortions in Cameroon, the association between induced abortion and IPV is of interest in terms of public health. Programs targeted at preventing IPV might reduce the rate of maternal morbidity and mortality.