The association of physical and nonphysical intimate partner violence (IPV) with obesity was examined. Women (N = 1,179) were surveyed regarding demographics, obesity, and IPV exposure using humiliate-afraid-rape-kick (HARK), an IPV screening tool. A three-level lifetime IPV exposure variable measured physical, nonphysical or no IPV. Health-care provider-identified obesity was defined if participants were told by a medical provider within the past 5 years that they were obese. Bivariate analyses examined obesity by IPV and demographics. Multivariable logistic regression assessed odds of obesity by IPV type, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, education, and marital status. Among participants, 44% reported lifetime IPV (25% physical, 19% nonphysical), and 24% reported health-care provider-identified obesity. In unadjusted analyses, obesity was more prevalent among women exposed to physical IPV (30%) and nonphysical IPV (27%), compared to women without IPV (20%, p = .002). In multivariable models, women reporting physical IPV had 1.67 times greater odds of obesity (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20, 2.33), and women reporting nonphysical IPV had 1.46 times greater odds of obesity (95% CI 1.01, 2.10), compared to women reporting no exposure. This study extends prior data by showing, not only an association between physical IPV and obesity, but also an association between obesity and nonphysical IPV.
Keywords: Battered women; domestic violence; obesity; spouse abuse; weight.