Maternal exposure to spousal violence is associated with Acute Respiratory Infection among children under the age of 5 in Bangladesh and Nigeria

Background: Spousal violence is a global public health problem, with higher prevalence in developing countries. About 25.6% and 15.4% married women in Bangladesh and in Nigeria respectively, report experiencing physical violence in past 12 months. Acute respiratory infection (ARI), primarily pneumonia, is one of the major causes of childhood morbidity and mortality among children under 5 in many underdeveloped countries. About 11.1% and 3.3% of children under 5 in Bangladesh and in Nigeria respectively, reported having symptoms of ARI in past two weeks. Objective: This research examines the relationship between maternal past year experience of spousal violence and the incidence of ARI among children under five. Data and methodology: This research uses data from Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS, 2008) and Bangladesh Demographic Health Surveys (BDHS, 2007). Controlling for the effect of unobserved heterogeneity, random-effect logistic regression models were estimated for examining the relationship between spousal violence experienced by women and the incidence of ARI among children under five in the past two-weeks. Results: Logistic regression results suggest that the odds of incidence of ARI among children under five in past two weeks is about two times (OR: 1.78, p<0.001) and one and a half times (1.63,p<0.001) significantly higher in Nigeria and Bangladesh respectively, for women who experienced spousal violence in past year. Spousal violence is associated with women's health seeking behavior for herself and for her children. Despite ongoing efforts to protect women against violence there is still much to be done to protect victims.