Domestic Violence and Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth in Los Angeles County: Preliminary findings from 2007 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby Survey (LAMB)

Introduction: 32 million women are victims of domestic violence annually and violence escalates during pregnancy. Domestic violence during pregnancy is associated with increased rates of prenatal complications, prematurity, and low birth weight babies.

Objective: Assess the prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy and its association with low birth weight and preterm birth in Los Angeles County.

Methods: LAMB is a mail survey with telephone follow-up for non-respondents. Our preliminary analyses were based on the responses of 721 women with a live birth in 2007 in LA County.

Results: 24% of women were victims of verbal, physical, or sexual abuse during their pregnancy. Younger age, black ethnicity, lower socioeconomic status, less education, and lack of health insurance were associated with higher rates of abuse (p<0.0001). There was no significant difference in rates of preterm birth (OR 1.0, CI 0.79-1.27) or low birth weight (OR 1.01, CI 0.77-1.45) among women who experienced violence during pregnancy, compared to those who did not, when the sample was adjusted for race, education, and age.

Conclusion: We found that 1/4 of women in LA were victims of domestic violence during pregnancy. We did not find an association between domestic violence during pregnancy and low birth weight or preterm birth, but sample size could have been a limiting factor. This data will be used to develop programs to address and decrease domestic violence during pregnancy.