Abuse in adolescent pregnant women and its effect on newborn weight in the Peruvian geographical altitude, Huancayo, Peru

Abstract

Introduction: Violence in the pregnant woman is associated with many newborn factors, but this has hardly been reported in the geographical altitude. Objective: To determine whether there is an association between adolescent pregnancy abuse and its effect on newborn birth weight in high altitude Peru. Method: Retrospective cohort study. Information was taken from 855 pregnant women. The exposure variable was whether they had suffered gender-based violence, the exposure variable was that they had suffered violence, which was associated with the weight and other data of the newborn in Huancayo city, Peru. Results: In the multivariate analysis it was found that there was a higher risk of the child having an inadequate weight when there was physical violence (adjusted relative risk [RRa]: 1.42; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.01-2.00; p = 0.045), when there was a preterm birth according to Capurro (RRa: 4.90; 95%CI: 2.85-8.45; p < 0.001), when there were complications in childbirth (RRa: 2.11; 95%CI: 1.25-3.61; p = 0.006) and if the abuse started in the first trimester (RRa: 14.74; 95%CI: 4.70-46.27; p < 0.001), second (RRa: 18.72; 95%CI: 5.78-60.63; p < 0.001) or third (RRa: 18.87; 95%CI: 4.71-75.60; p < 0.001). Conclusions: There is an association between suffering physical violence during gestation and low birth weight, and association was also found with other variables.