Domestic violence and obesity in Egyptian women

Abstract

Domestic violence and obesity are global public health problems.This study explores associations of domestic violence and obesity in 5015 ever-married, non-pregnant women aged 15-49 years who took part in the 2005 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). Women's mean body mass index (BMI) was 30.4 kg/m², and 48% were obese. Thirty-seven percent reported any prior psychological, physical or sexual domestic violence.Compared with their counterparts, the adjusted odds of being obese were marginally higher among women who reported any prior sexual (aOR=1.31),physical or sexual (aOR=1.18), or psychological, physical or sexual (aOR=1.17) domestic violence. Women who experienced severe or repeated domestic violence--as measured by reported exposure to three or more acts of physical(aOR=1.25), psychological or physical (aOR=1.18), physical or sexual(aOR=1.36), and psychological, physical or sexual (aOR=1.26) domestic violence--had higher adjusted odds of being obese. Marginally significant adjusted dose-response relationships remained between obesity and the number of specific acts of: (1) physical or sexual violence and (2) psychological, physical or sexual domestic violence. Obesity among women in poorer settings like Egypt may partly have its roots in gender subordination, as manifested in women's exposure to multiple acts of domestic violence.