Effeccts of intimate partner violence on use of prenatal care services among nigerian women

Objective: To explore the association between intimate partner violence and use of prenatal care among a sample of Nigerian women. Methods: A final sample of 12177 women from the 2008 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) was used in the data analysis. Intimate partner violence was classified into three categories (emotional, physical, or sexual) based on 10 questions asked in the domestic violence module of the NDHS. Prenatal care was classified depending on whether women received any prenatal care (yes/no), and from whom they received prenatal care (none, skilled health worker, nonskilled health worker). Chi square tests, as well as binomial and multinomial logistic regression models, were used to assess the relationship between intimate partner violence and prenatal care. Results: After adjusting for the effects of age, education, and geopolitical region, women who experienced physical intimate partner violence were less likely to receive any prenatal care (OR=0.86, 95% CI= 0.75-0.99). These women were also less likely to receive prenatal care from a skilled health worker (OR=0.81, 95% CI= 0.70-0.94). Overall, women who experienced any form of intimate partner violence were more likely to get prenatal care from a nonskilled health worker (OR=1.21, 95% CI= 1.02-1.43). Conclusion: There was a significant association between experience of any form of intimate partner violence among Nigerian women and the use of nonskilled prenatal care. Addressing intimate partner violence in Nigeria can have a great impact on women's ability to access and receive quality of prenatal care, which can improve maternal and child health.