Abstract:
Intimate partner violence is the most common public health problem and human rights issue worldwide. It is a global threat, regardless of any religious, cultural or economic differences. Few studies have been conducted before in rural areas of the country and most of the previous studies were didn’t consider the qualitative study.
Objective: To assess the prevalence and associated factors of intimate partner violence among married women in Jeldu district, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2021.
Methods: A community based mixed method cross-sectional study design was conducted among 620 married women in Jeldu district, Oromia regional state. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select study participants. The data collection instrument was a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire that was adapted from the World Health Organization multi-country study on women’s health and life experiences questionnaire. For qualitative study, focus group discussion (FGD) guide was used. Descriptive statistics such as means, frequencies and percentages were computed. Bivariate logistic regression at p-values <0.25 was run to identify candidate variables for multivariate logistic regression analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with intimate partner violence and variables with p-values < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: A total of 607 married women participated in the study making a response rate of 97.9%. Of the total married women, the lifetime and past 12 months prevalence of intimate partner violence was 57.7% (95%CI: 53.78-61.62%) and 53.2% (95%CI:49.28-57.12%) respectively. Alcohol intake by partner AOR (95%CI)= 2.21(0.365-0.841),dominance of partner on family affair AOR(95%CI)=0.445(0.247-0.803) and family size AOR(95%CI)=2.841 (1.087-7.428) were factors significantly associated with intimate partner violence in their life time.
Conclusion and recommendation: The prevalence of intimate partner violence among married women in Jeldu district is 57.7%. Alcohol intake of partner, dominance of partner on family issue and family size were factors associated with intimate partner violence. So, concerned bodies should design appropriate strategies and work hard to tackle the problem
