Intimate Partner Violence and Early Initiation of Breastfeeding: Evidence from the Peruvian Demographic and Family Health Survey

BACKGROUND: Violence against women is a serious human rights violation and a public health problem. In Peru, more than 55% of women have suffered intimate partner violence (IPV), which has a negative impact on their health and breastfeeding. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of IPV and early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) in Peruvian women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted using data from the Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES) of the period 2018-2022. The population included women of reproductive age (15-49 years). The outcome variable was the EIBF, and the main predictor variable was IPV. Crude prevalence ratios and adjusted prevalence ratios were estimated as a measure of association. RESULTS: We analyzed a final sample of 30,482 women. The prevalence of IPV was 16.25%, while the prevalence of mothers who did not initiate early breastfeeding was 33.37%. It was found that partner violence was associated with a lower likelihood of complying with EIBF. CONCLUSION: We identified that women who experienced IPV were less likely to initiate early breastfeeding.