The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #49095

John Collins, CNM¹, Richard Torres, MD, FACP¹, Irene Hui², Lisa Levy², Rathna Natarajan², Minesh Patel², Bettina Pierre², and Sahar Rooholamini². (1) Bridgeport Community Health Center, 982 East Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06608-2409, (2) Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06510

The widespread prevalence of domestic violence among American women is alarming. It has been estimated that each year 1.8 to 4 million women experience either injury or attack by a current or former partner. Approximately one third of all women will experience domestic or intimate violence during adulthood. A survey ten years ago at an inner city community health center revealed that 54% of women surveyed reported being physically abused, including forced sexual intercourse. Previous studies have shown that minority women may be at higher risk for domestic violence. Compounded with a lack of community-wide resources to address this problem, domestic violence continues against a vulnerable population of Latina and African-American women. This prevalence study sought to describe current domestic violence risk factors and patterns of abuse. The study results will be used to recommend resources and management strategies necessary to intervene in this health crisis. A non-duplicated convenience sample of all women seeking health care for a period of two weeks was surveyed using a self -administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was available in English, Spanish, French and Creole. The surveys contained questions recommended by current literature on domestic violence in minority populations. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe the study sample, risk factors, and various forms of abuse. Modeling and categorical analyses were used to identify associations between and among various risk factors and types of violence. The report concludes with recommendations for future community health programming and intervention strategies for minority women.

Learning Objectives:

• Determine the prevalence of domestic violence in a population of minority women.
• Describe current domestic violence risk factors and patterns.

Keywords: Women's Health, Domestic Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.