178809 Domestic Violence and Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth in Los Angeles County: Preliminary findings from 2007 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby Survey (LAMB)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008: 9:00 AM

Nicole Schneider, MD , Department of Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA
Diana E. Ramos, MD, MPH , Maternal, Child, & Adolescent Health, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles, CA
Rachel Golden , Maternal, Child, & Adolescent Health, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles, CA
Margaret Chao, PhD, MPH , Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Michael C. Lu, MD, MPH , Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Cynthia Harding, MPH , Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
     
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.

Learning Objectives:
1. Improve knowledge of the prevalence of domestic violence during pregnancy in Los Angeles County 2. Evaluate the effects of domestic violence on low birth weight and preterm birth in Los Angeles County

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a physician, working in conjunction with Dr. Diana Ramos, medical director of Maternal Health at Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Family and community violence: prevention and intervention
See more of: Maternal and Child Health