Domestic violence and its association with pre-term or low birthweight delivery in Vietnam

To examine the association between various types of domestic violence (DV) during pregnancy (emotional violence, physical violence, and sexual violence) and pre-term or low birthweight delivery in women living in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in ten districts of Ho Chi Minh city during the period of January 1, 2015-July 4, 2016, with 1,099 women aged 18-49 years old who had delivered at least one child within the past 2years and were living in Ho Chi Minh city.

DV prevalence during pregnancy among women aged 18-49 years in Ho Chi Minh city was 23.4%. Emotional violence accounted for 16.8%; physical violence 7.3%, and sexual violence 12.4%. Results of multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that DV during pregnancy was associated with a 1.44-times increased risk of pre-term or/and low birthweight delivery (POR=1.44, 95% CI=1.04-1.99).

Domestic violence during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of pre-term/low birthweight delivery in Vietnamese women. These findings suggest the need for DV screening during antenatal care. Once DV is detected, the victims should be provided with counseling services and referred to available local support services so that they are provided with timely intervention.