Search

Objective The association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and breastfeeding is unclear. We conducted a systematic review to summarise the evidence of breastfeeding outcomes following exposure to IPV. Design Systematic review. Methods We searched for published studies without study design or language restrictions (up to July 2019) in the following databases: PubMed, Embase, SCOPUS and The Global Health Library. Studies assessing various breastfeeding outcomes (initiation, duration and exclusive breastfeeding) in women exposed to IPV in any form (physical, psychological or sexual) and at any stage (1 year pre-pregnancy, during or post-pregnancy) were included. Two authors independently selected the studies and conducted the quality appraisal by use of the Newcastle– Ottawa Scale. Results were summarised taking precision and quality into account. Results A total of 16 studies (participants n=414 393) were included and they adjusted for a total of 48 different confounders. The majority of studies were cross-sectional (n=11) and most studies were judged to be fair/low quality. Four out of seven studies found that IPV exposure shortened breastfeeding duration (adjusted ORs/aORs=0.22 (95% CI: 0.05–0.85), 1.18 (95% CI: 1.01–1.37), 5.92 (95% CI: 1.72–27.98), 1.28 (95% CI: 1.18–1.39)). Further, 5/10 studies found that IPV led to early termination of exclusive breastfeeding (aORs=1.53 (95% CI: 1.01–23.1), 0.83 (95% CI: 0.71–0.96), 1.35 (95% CI: 1.07–1.71), 0.17 (95% CI: 0.07–0.4), 1839 (95% CI: 1.61–2911)) and 2/6 studies found that IPV significantly reduced breastfeeding initiation (aORs=2.00 (95% CI: 1.2–3.3), 0.81 (95% CI: 0.7–0.93)). Conclusion IPV exposure appears to associate negatively with some breastfeeding outcomes. Individual patient data meta-analysis is required to quantify the magnitude of the association for specific IPV-outcome combinations. More high-quality studies and definition of core confounders are warranted. PROSPERO registration number CRD42019129353, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Odense University Hospital (OUH), Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine whether exposure to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is associated with premature termination of Exclusive Breastfeeding (EB). Per WHO recommendations, this was defined as ceasing breastfeeding or supplementing with other foods or liquids before the child was 6 months old.MethodIt is a prospective cohort study set in Moshi, Tanzania consisting of 1128 pregnant women with live singleton births. Women were enrolled during pregnancy and followed up with interviews during pregnancy, after birth and 2-3 years postpartum, using structured questionnaires. Emotional, physical and sexual IPV exerted by the current partner was assessed at 34 weeks gestational age with WHO questionnaires. Months of EB was assessed 2-3 years postpartum. Premature termination of EB was defined as less than 6 months of EB. Analyses were made using a logistic regression model adjusted for maternal age, education, HIV-status, alcohol use during pregnancy and parity. Confounding variables were determined using a theoretical framework approach, i.e. a Directed Acyclic Graph model to minimize bias.ResultsWomen who were exposed to IPV had more than 50% higher odds of terminating EB before the child was 6 months old compared to women who were not exposed (aOR = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.27-2.06). Women exposed to all three types of IPV had twice the odds of early termination of EB (aOR = 1.95, 1.12; 3.37). Furthermore, the odds were tripled if exposure happened specifically during the index pregnancy (aOR = 2.93 95%CI: 1.3; 6.6). Stratified analyses showed the most severely affected groups were the mothers older than 30 and those who gave birth to girls.ConclusionsThe results indicated that exposure to IPV is associated with increased risk of premature termination of EB. The odds increase with multiple types of the IPV, especially when exposed during the index pregnancy.