Birth Outcomes in Relation to Intimate Partner Violence.

OBJECTIVES: Intimate partner violence (IPV)during pregnancy is a significant public health problem. Approximately 324,000 IPV victimizations occur during pregnancy each year. However, research on the impact of IPV on birth outcomes yields conflicting findings. This study examines the association of IPV with birth outcomes among pregnant women. STUDY DESIGN: We used a retrospective cohort study design to analyze data from chart reviews of a random sample of 1542 pregnant women. These women were seen between 2003 and 2009 at an urban university affiliated prenatal clinic and gave birth at the on-site hospital. Victims of IPV were defined as those who scored equal to or higher than 10 on an IPV screening tool: HITS (Hit, Insult, Threaten, and Scream). Three measures were included in birth outcomes. Preterm delivery was defined as gestational age less than 37 weeks. Low birth weight was defined as infants born weighing <2500 g. Neonatal intensive care was measured by prevalence of receiving intensive care. RESULTS: The prevalence of IPV was 7.5%. Compared to non-abused women, abused women were more likely to have preterm deliveries (18.3% vs. 10.3%; p = .016). Compared to infants of non-victims, infants of victims were more likely to have low birth weight (21.5% vs. 11.0%; p = .003) and to receive neonatal intensive care (23.4% vs. 7.8%; p = .000). Results from multivariate analyses indicated that victims were more likely to have preterm deliveries than non-victims (OR = 1.72; 95% CI: 1.22-2.95). More infants of victims had low birth weight (OR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.22-3.39) and received neonatal intensive care than those of non-victims (OR = 4.04; 95% CI: 2.46-6.61). CONCLUSIONS: Abused pregnant women had poorer birth outcomes compared to non-abused pregnant women. Healthcare providers should be trained to screen and identify women for IPV, and interventions should be designed to reduce and prevent IPV and thereby improve health outcomes for victims and their children.

Family physicians' barriers to cancer screening in extremely obese patients.

Extremely obese women are less likely than nonobese women to receive breast and cervical cancer screening examinations. Reasons for this disparity are unclear and may stem from patient and/or physician barriers. This sequential mixed-methods study used individual in-depth interviews of 15 family physicians followed by a mail survey of 255 family physicians (53% response rate) to understand the barriers they faced in performing cancer screening examinations in extremely obese women. Barriers fell into three main areas: (i) difficulty doing pelvic and breast exams; (ii) inadequate equipment; and (iii) challenges overcoming patient barriers and refusal. This led some physicians to avoid performing breast and pelvic examinations on extremely obese women. Having more knowledge about specific examination techniques was associated with less difficulty in palpating lumps on breast and pelvic examinations (P < 0.005). Physicians perceived that embarrassment, aversion to undressing, and avoidance of discussions related to their weight were the most frequent barriers extremely obese women had with getting physical examinations. Educating and/or motivating patients and addressing fears were strategies used most frequently when patients refused mammograms or Pap smears. Interventions focusing on physician barriers, such as educating them on specific examination techniques, obtaining adequate equipment and supplies, and providing resources to assist physicians in dealing with patient barriers and refusal, may be fruitful in increasing cancer screening rates in extremely obese patients. Future research studies testing the effectiveness of these strategies are needed to improve cancer outcomes in this high-risk population.