Exploring the relationship between intimate partner violence and contraception use by Tanzanian women

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) can be described as a global epidemic which has long term effects on numerous aspects of life. The effect of IPV on contraception use is also wide-ranging and culturally bound. Among the continents, Africa has the highest IPV prevalence. The relationship between IPV on contraception use by Tanzanian women is explored in this study as an illustrative case. This is a descriptive cross-sectional design study, for which we utilized the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey Data 2015–2016. Data from the responses of 13,266 ever-partnered women were used in this study. The mean age of the respondents was 28.69 years, median 27. 63% of respondents used contraceptives. Women with more than three pregnancies were more likely to use contraceptives (OR: 1.56, 95% CI, p < .001). Education levels also correlated with contraceptive use. Notably, contraceptive use was also significantly lower among the Tanzanian women who were exposed to IPV, suggesting a need for appropriately tailored social interventions and support. The need for interventions relating to IPV to take into account the multifactorial nature of a woman’s uptake of contraceptive methods is underlined.

Disclosure statement

The authors have declared no conflicts of interest. No funding was received for this study.