TY - RPRT AU - Msuya, Sia E. AU - Adinan, Juma AU - Mosha, Neema CY - Rockville, Maryland, USA TI - Intimate partner violence and empowerment among women in Tanzania: Prevalence and effects on utilization of reproductive and maternal health services T2 - DHS Working Papers No. 106 PB - ICF International PY - 2014 UR - http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/WP106/WP106.pdf AB - Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health concern in Tanzania because of its prevalence and documented negative effect on pregnancy outcomes. There has been limited information available in Tanzania on the relationship between IPV and women’s use of reproductive and maternal health services. This study uses data from the most recent DHS survey in Tanzania to examine the associations between IPV, women’s empowerment, and use of reproductive and maternal health services, taking into account the effects of key socio- demographic variables. The study analyzed the data on 4,471 currently married or cohabiting women age 15– 49 interviewed with the domestic violence module in the 2010 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS). Thirty-nine percent of the women reported physical or sexual violence by their current partner at least once. Thirty percent of the women were defined as “empowered” according to participation in household decision-making. After controlling for other factors, women’s empowerment was found to be associated with 1) use of modern contraceptive methods, 2) having four or more antenatal care visits, and 3) use of a skilled birth attendant during delivery. No significant associations were found between IPV and the use of any of these three reproductive and maternal health services. The findings suggest that in Tanzania women’s empowerment has a strong influence on their use of reproductive and maternal health services. To improve women’s health and that of their children there is a need for multi- sector collaboration in developing programs and interventions to improve women’s empowerment, increase educational attainment, and reduce gender-based violence. N1 - For assistance using downloaded citations from The DHS Program, please visit http://dhsprogram.com/publications/Citing-DHS-Publications.cfm. The DHS Working Papers series is an unreviewed prepublication series of papers reporting on research in progress that is based on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data. This research is carried out with support provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through The DHS Program (AID-OAA-C-13-00095). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. The DHS Program assists countries worldwide in the collection and use of data to monitor and evaluate population, health, and nutrition programs. For additional information about the DHS Program contact: DHS Program, ICF International, 530 Gaither Road, Suite 500, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. Phone: 301-407-6500; Fax: 301-407-6501; Email: reports@dhsprogram.com; Internet: www.dhsprogram.com. ER -