BOSTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Married women in India whose husbands abuse
them physically and sexually have an increased risk of HIV infection,
researchers said.
Jay G. Silverman of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and
colleagues conducted a study in 2007 and 2008 to assess the relationship
between experiencing intimate partner violence and the occurrence of HIV
infection in a nationally representative sample of married Indian women
tested for HIV.
The researchers analyzed data on 28,139 married women who provided intimate
partner violence data, and HIV test results, as part of a national family
health survey conducted across India during 2005 and 2006.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association,
found 35 percent of married Indian women reported they had experienced
physical intimate partner violence, with or without sexual violence, from
their husbands. About one-fourth reported experiencing physical Intimate
partner violence without sexual violence, while 7.7 percent reported both
physical and sexual intimate partner violence.
"Prevention of intimate partner violence may augment efforts to reduce the
spread of HIV/AIDS," the authors said in a statement.
Source : United Press International, Inc
