Does domestic violence during pregnancy influence the beginning of complementary feeding?

Background:This study investigate the influence of domestic violence against pregnant women on early complementary feeding and associated factors. Methods:A longitudinal observational study was conducted with a convenience sample recruited from threepublic hospitals in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data on maternal age, education, marital status, breastfeeding, introduction of complementary feeding and domestic violence during pregnancy were investigatedat four follow-ups points. Data on domestic violence was collected through a self-report questionnaire based onthe Abuse Assessment Screen. The early introduction of complementary feeding, characterized as occurring beforeor at 3 months of life, was verified through a questionnaire prepared by the research group. Data analysis involvedStudent’st-test, the chi-square test and Cox regression and was carried out in Statistical Package for the SocialSciences program. The significance level was set at 5%.Results:A total of 232 mother-infant pairs participated in the analyses, and 15.1% of the mothers reported suffering some form of violence. Domestic violence was directly associated with maternal education, marital status, and healthstatus during pregnancy. Domestic violence was not associated with maternal age or breastfeeding at 3 months afterdelivery. In the univariate analysis, domestic violence during pregnancy was associated with early complementary feeding (RR = 1.74; CI: 1.01–2.98). This effect disappeared after the model was adjusted in multivariate analysis. Conclusions:There was no relationship between domestic violence during pregnancy and early complementary feeding