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Gender-based violence and women's nutrition: a systematic review.

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Title: Gender-based violence and women's nutrition: a systematic review.
Authors: Meyer SR; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany sarah.r.meyer@gmail.com., Gillespie A; Social Work, Brown School at Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA., Bhatt Carreno S; Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA., Johnstone L; Social Work, Brown School at Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA., Orjuela-Grimm M; Department of Epidemiology and Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
Source: BMJ global health [BMJ Glob Health] 2025 Nov 19; Vol. 10 (11). Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Nov 19.
Publication Type: Journal Article; Systematic Review
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101685275 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2059-7908 (Print) Linking ISSN: 20597908 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMJ Glob Health Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: [London] : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, [2016]-
MeSH Terms: Gender-Based Violence*/statistics & numerical data , Nutritional Status* , Women's Health*, Humans ; Female ; Developing Countries
Abstract: Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.
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.
(© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.)
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Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Gender-Based Violence; Nutrition; Systematic review
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20251119 Date Completed: 20251119 Latest Revision: 20251123
Update Code: 20251123
PubMed Central ID: PMC12636918
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2025-018996
PMID: 41260887
Database: MEDLINE
Description
Abstract:Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.<br />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.<br />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.<br />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.<br />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.<br />Prospero Registration Number: CRD42023402727.<br /> (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.)
ISSN:2059-7908
DOI:10.1136/bmjgh-2025-018996