OBJECTIVES:
To explore the relationship between past year physical or sexual partner violence against women and women's self-report of sexually transmitted infection (STI) symptoms in post-revolution Egypt; and to examine the effects of men's and women's risky sexual behavioural characteristics and structural dimensions of poverty and gender inequality on this relationship.
STUDY DESIGN:
This study uses the nationally representative cross-sectional demographic and health survey data conducted in 2014. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between past year partner violence and self-report of STI symptoms among currently married women.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
women's self-report of STI was based on their responses to three questions; whether in the past year they had: got a disease through sexual contact?, a genital sore or ulcer?, or a bad smelling abnormal genital discharge? Women who gave an affirmative response to one or more of these questions were assumed to self-report STI.
RESULTS:
Almost one-third of women self-reported symptoms of STI. Fourteen percent of women reported they had experienced physical or sexual violence by a male partner in the past 12months. Abused women had a 2.76 times higher odds of self-reported STI symptoms (95% CI 2.25-3.38). The significant relationship between self-reported STI and past year partner violence against women did not alter when adjusting for men's and women's behavioural characteristics and factors related to poverty and gender inequality.
CONCLUSIONS:
Public health interventions that address women's sexual and reproductive health need to consider violence response and prevention strategies.