Prevalence and factors associated with sexual violence among women aged 15-49 years in rural Uganda: evidence from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016

Sexual violence against ever-married reproductive-age women in East Africa: further analysis of recent demographic and health surveys

BACKGROUND

Sexual violence is a violation of women's rights, resulting in significant physical and psychological challenges and adverse reproductive health outcomes. Addressing these issues demands urgent public health interventions and support systems to mitigate the profound impact on individuals and societies. Thus, this study aimed to assess sexual violence against ever-married reproductive-age women in East Africa.

METHODS

Data retrieved from the recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of East African countries was used, and a weighted sample of 40,740 ever-married reproductive-age women was included. To identify factors associated with sexual violence, multilevel mixed-effects models utilizing robust Poisson regression were applied. Akaike's and Bayesian information criteria, as well as deviance, were utilized to compare the models. In the multivariable regression model, adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the strength of association, with statistical significance set at a p-value < 0.05.

RESULT

The pooled proportion of sexual violence among ever-married reproductive-age women in East Africa was 13.05% (95% CI: 12.74-13.36). The multivariable multilevel robust Poisson regression revealed that age at first cohabitation/marriage, having a primary educational level, being employed, residing in a female-headed household, having a husband/partner who drinks alcohol, and living in rural areas were positively associated with sexual violence. On the contrary, having secondary and higher educational levels and living in communities with a high proportion of uneducated women were negatively associated with sexual violence.

CONCLUSION

Empowering girls and women through education reduces their vulnerability. Effective programs should prioritize workplace safety, financial independence, and robust legal protections against harassment and abuse. Raising awareness about the impact of alcohol abuse on relationships and the heightened risk of sexual violence is crucial. Moreover, enhancing access to support services and community networks, especially in rural areas, is essential for preventing and responding to sexual violence.

Prevalence and factors associated with anxiety disorder among married women exposed to violence in rural area, Ismailia, Egypt: A cross-sectional study

Background

Domestic abuse is a widespread health issue that negatively impacts both mental health and quality of life.

Objectives

To determine the prevalence of domestic violence and anxiety among women visiting primary healthcare facilities in the rural Ismailia governorate.

Methods

Between October 2021 and December 2021, a cross-sectional study was conducted. Simple random methods were used to choose the participants from those who attended a clinic. 350 married women were included in the estimated sample size. By using an interview questionnaire, data were gathered including the following parts: The socio-demographic data, designed scale for assessment of violence and anxiety symptoms were assessed by the Hamilton anxiety scale.

Results

The prevalence of domestic violence was 41% and both physical and sexual abuse was 43%. The most predominant sexual abuse was practice without consent (63%). The prevalence of anxiety was 76%, the predominance was mild degree 46% followed by mild to moderate 18%. The significant predictors for anxiety in the total sample were the increase in age of women, rural residence, and exposure to abuse (OR = 11.2 (4.9-25.4). The use of the husband's stimulant drugs was the most predictor factor for women's abuse (OR = 2.3 (1.4-3.9).

Conclusion

forty-one of the women exposed to every form of violence, anxiety was present in more than three-quarters of the studied women. It is essential to screen any wife attending primary health care for the manifestation of domestic violence especially in rural areas and increase the awareness of family physicians towards screening of mental health problems.

Women's health and rights in the twenty-first century

In the twenty-first century, the complex relationship between women's health and rights has been influenced by a range of interconnected challenges, including gender inequity, reproductive health disparities, maternal mortality and morbidity, and women's inability to access life-saving, high-quality healthcare services including family planning. Going forward, the world needs to find ways to implement the unfinished agenda of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) 1994 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thus prioritizing health and rights for women and girls as essential not only to their survival but also to their progress, agency and empowerment. It is also important to consider the interconnection between women's health and rights and climate change, with its disproportionate impact on the well-being of girls and women, and to address the impact and opportunities afforded by digital technologies. By embracing a holistic approach, societies might be able to advance the cause of women's health and rights in a more inclusive and sustainable manner.

Factors associated with HIV testing among pregnant women in Rwanda: A nationwide cross-sectional survey

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing during pregnancy is crucial for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, through aiding prompt treatment, care, and support. However, few studies have explored HIV testing among pregnant women in Rwanda. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of HIV testing among pregnant women in Rwanda. We used secondary data from the 2020 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS), comprising 870 pregnant women. Multistage stratified sampling was used by the RDHS team to select participants. We conducted bivariable and multivariable logistic regression to explore factors associated with HIV testing using SPSS (version 25). Of the 870 pregnant women, 94.0% had tested for HIV during their current pregnancy. Younger age (24-34 years), not working, large household size, multiple sex partners, as well as secondary, primary, and no education were associated with higher odds of HIV testing compared to their respective counterparts. However, being unmarried, belonging to the western region, having not visited a health facility, and not having comprehensive HIV knowledge were associated with lower odds of HIV testing. A high proportion of pregnant women had tested for HIV. The study revealed that individual-level factors had the greatest influence on HIV testing in pregnancy, with a few household-level factors showing significance. There is a need for maternal health stakeholders to design and develop HIV testing programs that are region-sensitive. These programs should target older, more educated, working, and unmarried women with limited HIV knowledge.

Comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS and associated factors among adolescent girls in Rwanda: a nationwide cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Limited comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS is highlighted as one of the major factors linked to the high prevalence of HIV among adolescents and young girls. Thus, it is crucial to identify factors that facilitate or hinder adolescent girls from having comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS. We, therefore, assessed the prevalence of comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS and associated factors among adolescent girls in Rwanda.

METHODS

We used secondary data from the Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS) 2020 comprising 3258 adolescent girls (aged 15 to 19 years). Comprehensive knowledge was considered if an adolescent girl answered correctly all the six indicators; always using condoms during sex can reduce the risk of getting HIV, having one sexual partner only who has no other partners can reduce the risk of getting HIV, a healthy-looking person can have HIV, can get HIV from mosquito bites, can get HIV by sharing food with persons who have AIDS, and can get HIV by witchcraft or supernatural means. We, then, conducted multivariable logistic regression to explore the associated factors, using SPSS (version 25).

RESULTS

Of the 3258 adolescent girls, 1746 (53.6%, 95%CI: 52.2-55.6) had comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Adolescent girls with secondary education (AOR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.13-3.20), health insurance (AOR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.12-1.73), a mobile phone (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.04-1.52), exposure to television (AOR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.05-1.44), and a history of an HIV test (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.07-1.49) had higher odds of comprehensive HIV knowledge, compared to their respective counterparts. However, girls residing in Kigali (AOR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.49-0.87) and Northern (AOR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.59-0.95) regions, and those of Anglican religion (AOR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.68-0.99) had less odds of comprehensive knowledge compared to those in Southern region and of the Catholic religion.

CONCLUSIONS

To increase the comprehensive understanding of the disease at a young age, the need for expanded access to HIV preventive education through formal educational curriculum, and mass and social media via mobile phones is highlighted. In addition, the continued involvement of key decision-makers and community actors, such as religious leaders, is vital.

Gender-based violence and associated factors among private college female students in Dessie City, Ethiopia: mixed method study

INTRODUCTION

Violence against girls and young women, mostly those in educational settings, has been gaining increasing attention. School-based gender-based violence represents a serious obstacle. As a result, it would be a threat to the achievement of the sustainable development goals, strive for gender equality in all our programs, right from the planning stages, to make sure we are as equitable as possible. Little was studied to explore reasons, opinions, and perceptions towards gender-based violence. Also, studies that are conducted on private college female students are limited. Important evidence about underlining reasons for gender-based violence against private college students will be explored. Therefore, to assess the prevalence of gender-based violence and associated factors among Private college female students in Dessie City, Ethiopia, 2021.

METHODS

A facility-based mixed method concurrent triangulation study design was conducted among 435 randomly selected Private college female students in Dessie City. Self-administered questionnaire and an in-depth interview were used to collect the data. The collected data were cleaned and entered into Epi data and analyzed using a statistical package for social science. Descriptive statistics were conducted and the results were reported using frequency, and percentile. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify associated factors. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals and p values < 0.05 were used to explain statistically significant associations. Qualitative data were transcribed, translated, and analyzed manually using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The study showed the prevalence of gender-based violence was 251 (62.6%) (CI 0.512-0.683) Private college female students in Dessie city Administration. age less than 20 years and 20-24 years, [AOR = 0.19, 95% CI (0.03-0.92)] and [AOR = 0.106, 95% CI (0.02-0.44)], tight family control, [AOR = 6.14, 95% CI (1.38-7.1)], family discussion on RH and related personal issue [AOR = 0.091, 95% CI (0.03-0.27)], Witnessed father abuse mother at childhood; [AOR = 4.04, 95% CI (1.36-12.1)], had drunkenness female or boyfriend; [AOR = 5.12, 95% CI (1.58-16.5)] had significant association with gender-based violence.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, the high prevalence of gender-based violence among Private college female students is higher as compared to others. This is because the life of young girls is being abandoned as a result of gender-based violence, such as dropout from their education, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted infections, and psychological disturbance, which decreases the productivity of girls. This is totally against the strategy and consensus of universal education for women and girls and adolescent health stated in the sustainable development goal.

Intimate partner violence and associated factors among reproductive age women in Liberia: a cross-sectional study using a recent Liberian demographic and health survey

Background

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem and a violation of women's human rights. Almost one third of women aged 15–49 years who have been in a relationship have experienced to some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner worldwide.

Objective

The study aimed to assess the prevalence of intimate partner violence within the last 12 months and associated factors among reproductive aged women in Liberia.

Method

This study was based on a large community-based cross-sectional survey, Liberia Demographic Health Survey (LDHS), conducted From October 16, 2019, to February 12, 2020, in Liberia. The 2019–20 LDHS used a stratified two-stage cluster design. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent intimate partner violence among reproductive age women in Liberia and to control confounders. Adjusted odds ratio and confidence interval (CI) were used to declare statistical significance in the final model. Those variables with p value < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.

Result

The overall prevalence of IPV within the last 12 months was 44.74% (42.73–46.77). age of the women 41% (AOR = 0.59, 95%CI 0.37–0.93), 42% (AOR = 0.58, 95%CI 0.35–0.94), and 59% (AOR = 0.41, 95%CI 0.25–0.68) among women with in the age group of 35–39, 40–44 and 45–49 respectively, south central region (AOR = 0.71, 95%CI 0.52–0.96), women’s primary education (AOR = 1.28, 95%CI 1.01–1.63), female household head (AOR = 0.77, 95%CI 0.61–0.97), husbands higher education (AOR = 0.62, 95%CI 0.39–0.99), positive wife beating attitude (AOR = 1.57, 95%CI 1.29–1.90), husband drinks (AOR = 2.59, 95%CI 2.14–3.15) and Women’s decision making autonomy (AOR = 0.75, 95%CI 0.61–0.93) were significantly associated with IPV.

Conclusion

The prevalence of IPV in Liberia was high. Socio-demographic characteristics of women, husbands education, sex of household head, having a positive attitude towards wife-beating, partner’s alcohol drinking habit and women empowerment was significantly associated with IPV in Liberia. Policymakers and program designers have to take into account those factors when they design interventions to reduce IPV in Liberia.

Do health sector measures of violence against women at different levels of severity correlate? Evidence from Brazil

Objective

To evaluate if characteristics of reports of violence against women at different levels of severity are similar and to test if their prevalence is correlated at the municipal level.

Methods

I use data from women ages 15–49 who were killed by homicide in Brazil’s national death registry (N = 14,373), were hospitalized for aggression (N = 14,701), or were included in the medical mandatory reports of incidents of violence against women (N = 42,134) between 2011 and 2016 in select municipalities. I provide national level descriptive statistics from 2016 contrasting distributions of victims (age, education, and race) and distributions of the characteristics of the incidents (location and time of day). Then, for 63 municipalities with a high number of violent incidents, I calculate the correlation coefficients between measures of violence against women using quarterly data from 2011 to 2016. I use multiple regression of municipal characteristics at baseline to examine which factors (poverty, spending, health, and civic engagement) predict the correlation.

Results

Victim characteristics and incident characteristics are similar across the measures of violence at the national level. Despite these aggregate similarities, correlations at the municipal level are quite varied, ranging from − 0.69 to 0.83. I find no municipal characteristics that consistently predict these correlation coefficients.

Conclusions

Despite some similarities at an aggregate level, these measures of violence against women do not have consistent patterns of correlation at the municipality level. Measures of severe levels of violence against women are not good proxies for incidence of violence at less severe physical levels. Lack of correlations could be due to differences in reporting, but may also be due to differences in underlying processes that share similar victims and event characteristics.

Prevalence of risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus among women of reproductive age in Sierra Leone: a 2019 nationwide survey

Background and aim

For over 40 years of the HIV/AIDS global epidemic, no effective cure nor vaccine is yet available, making the current control strategies focused on curbing new infections through risk reduction. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of HIV risk factors and their associated socio-demographics among women of reproductive age in Sierra Leone.

Methods

We used weighted data from the Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDHS) of 2019 for 12,005 women aged 15–49 years. Multistage sampling was used to select study participants. Exposure to HIV risk factors was considered if a woman reported at least one of the following; having multiple sexual partners, transactional sex, non-condom use for the unmarried, and having other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We, then, conducted multivariable logistic regression to explore the associated socio-demographics. All the analyses were done using SPSS (version 25).

Results

Of the 12,005 women, 38.1% (4577/12005) (95% confidence interval (CI) 37.3–39.0) had at least one of the four risk factors. Women of 15 to 19 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.34, 95% CI 1.00–1.80) and 20 to 34 years (AOR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.05–1.49) had more odds of having HIV risk factors compared to those of 35 to 49 years. Urban residents (AOR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.17–1.89) and those from the Northwestern region (AOR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.26–2.60) were also more likely to encounter HIV risk factors compared to their respective counterparts. Moreover, unmarried women (AOR = 111.17, 95% CI 87.55–141.18) and those working (AOR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.14–1.67) also had higher odds of having HIV risk factors, compared to their respective counterparts. Sex of household head and parity were also significant associates.

Conclusions

More than a third of women in Sierra Leone had encountered at least one HIV risk factor, and this was associated with age, place of residence, region, marital status, working status, household head and parity. There is a need for strengthening HIV/AIDS education programs, laws and policies targeting the young, working, unmarried and urban-resident women.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-022-07037-7.