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Background Many studies report a significant association between a lifetime measure of intimate partner violence (IPV) and low birth weight (LBW) in low-income and economically developed countries. However, it remains relatively unclear how different forms of IPV affect LBW in low-income countries. This study examines the associations of various forms of IPV with two measures of birth outcomes - LBW and birth weight in India. Methods This study used the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) 2015–2016 data of India. The analysis included 11,423 women aged 15–49 years. Using both logistic and linear regression analyses, we assessed the associations of various forms of IPV with binary and continuous measures of birth weight. The analysis controlled for several potential covariates. Results In fully-adjusted regression models, women who experienced any IPV, compared to those who had not experienced any IPV, were 1.19 times (95% CI: 1.02–1.37) as likely to give birth to an LBW baby. Compared to those who had not experienced any physical violence (PV), women who experienced any PV were 1.16 times (95% CI: 1.00–1.35) as likely to have an LBW baby. Moreover, compared to those who had not experienced any emotional violence (EV), women who experienced any EV were 1.29 times (95% CI: 1.06–1.56) as likely to have LBW babies. Linear regression analysis found that any IPV exposure was associated with a significant decrease in birth weight in the fully-adjusted model (b = −32.39; 95% CI: −63.39 to −1.73). Further, experience of any PV (b = −28.40; 95% CI: −60.13 to 3.36) and any EV (b = −51.69; 95% CI: −93.97 to −9.42) appear to be negatively associated with a continuous measure of birth weight. Conclusion Findings have implications for public health policies and interventions that protect women from exposure to intimate partner violence for ensuring better maternal health and birth outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The caste system is a relatively rigid system of social hierarchy in India. The caste membership defines one's access to resources and life opportunities. A growing body of research suggests that lower caste groups have an excess burden of morbidity and mortality in India. However, it is not clear as to what extent caste differences in health are conditioned by socioeconomic status (SES) indicators., Purpose: This study examined the caste differences in hypertension and tested whether caste differences in hypertension are conditioned by education and household wealth in a representative sample of women in India., Methods: This study used data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2015-2016, India. The analysis is based on a nationally representative sample of 648,064 adult women aged 15-49 years. We used logistic regression to examine whether the association between caste and hypertension varied by education and wealth index using interactions and controlling for potential confounders., Results: The regression models suggest that scheduled tribes and non-caste members have the highest odds of hypertension compared with privileged upper caste members. Interaction models indicate complex intersections of caste, education, and wealth index. The predicted probabilities derived from these interaction models suggest that while SES indicators are inversely associated with the odds of hypertension, the inverse patterning was significantly weaker in other backward classes and more protective in non-caste members compared with upper caste. Additionally, caste difference in predictive risk of hypertension tends to diverge at the lower levels of SES and become narrower at the higher levels of SES., Conclusions: These findings provide evidence of differential returns to SES and have implications for understanding the causes of SES patterning in health among disadvantaged caste groups in India.