Gender-based violence and women’s nutrition
A systematic review
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21879528 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sarah R Meyer (0000-0001-8595-2358, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Alli Gillespie (0000-0002-1632-3272, Washington University in St. Louis), Silvia Bhatt Carreno (Columbia University), Luna Johnstone (Washington University in St. Louis), Manuela Orjuela-Grimm (0000-0002-7385-7561, Columbia University Irving Medical Center) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | e018996 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMJ Global Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2059-7908 • E-ISSN: 2059-7908 |
| Publisher | BMJ (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1136/bmjgh-2025-018996 |
| PMID | 41260887 |
| OpenAlex | W4416573271 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 91 |
INTRODUCTION: Women's nutrition is vital to their health and well-being. Among many factors influencing women's nutrition in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), gender-based violence (GBV) may result in poorer nutrition outcomes. Current evidence syntheses do not focus on GBV and women's nutrition outcomes. We conducted a systematic review of quantitative evidence on women's experience of GBV and their nutrition outcomes in LMICs. METHODS: We conducted a structured search of six databases to identify manuscripts meeting inclusion criteria. Following the title and abstract and full-text review, we piloted and refined a data extraction template that included variables such as study design, research question, type(s) of GBV and nutrition indicators included in the study. RESULTS: Of the 52 manuscripts that met inclusion criteria, approximately 92.5% (n=48) had a cross-sectional study design, four manuscripts had longitudinal prospective cohort study designs. 44.2% (n=23) of the included manuscripts used secondary data from Demographic and Health Surveys specifically, while 40.4% (n=21) of the manuscripts used primary data collection methods in their analyses. Around half (n=27) of the included manuscripts looked at intimate partner violence as the violence exposure, and approximately 28.8% (n=15) of the included papers looked at child/early/forced marriage as the violence exposure. The most frequently evaluated outcome measure was body mass index, which was used in the majority of the included publications (n=32). A total of 45 of the 52 articles included at least one significant association between women's experience of GBV and poorer nutrition outcomes. CONCLUSION: Consideration of the role of GBV in influencing women's nutrition outcomes in LMIC settings is sparse; however, this review indicates that women's experiences of GBV can have significant impacts on important nutritional indicators. Further research with a wider range of nutrition outcomes and study designs that enable understanding of causal mechanisms is warranted. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023402727
Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Public health · Suicide prevention · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |