Prevalence of Risk Factors Associated with Intimate Partner Violence in Women of Reproductive Age from South Africa and Uganda

Abstract

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a primary health concern in both developing and developed countries. Even though some countries are intervening through awareness campaigns to boost IPV knowledge, the high prevalence remains a concern. This study's main objective was to assess IPV factors utilizing the generalized additive mixed model (GAMM). Methodology: The current research used datasets from the 2016 South Africa and Uganda Demographics and Health Surveys involving a total of 8514 and 18506 women, respectively. GAMM was used to examine the data. The result assessed if a woman has experienced some form of intimate violence or not. Results: This study found that 26.93% and 32.25% of women from South Africa and Uganda, respectively, have experienced intimate partner violence. Additionally, the results from this work using GAMM showed the following independent variables as significant risk factors of IPV: age of the woman's partner, marital status, region where the woman lives, age of the woman, media exposure, size of the family, polygamy, wife-beating attitude, sex of the household head, wealth index, pregnancy termination status, body mass index, marital status, cohabitation duration, partner's desire for children, partner's education level, woman's working status, woman's income compared to partner's income, and the person who usually decide on what to do with the woman's earnings. Conclusion: The study shows that socioeconomic and demographic variables are significant factors that can be used in policy development and contingency plans when tackling intimate partner violence. The results of this study can assist general health workers and organizations responsible for gender monitoring in the two countries in developing successful strategies to reduce intimate partner violence against women.