Associação entre violência por parceiro íntimo e consumo de álcool e tabaco em mães, durante a pandemia da COVID-19, no extremo sul do Brasil

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is a public health problem with significant implications for women's physical and mental health, impacting all social and economic classes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation and domestic overload intensified this problem, highlighting the need to understand how violence influences health-related behaviors, such as alcohol and tobacco consumption. The present study aims to investigate the association between intimate partner violence and changes in alcohol and tobacco consumption during the first months of the pandemic, among women who had children in 2019 in the city of Rio Grande, Brazil. This study used a cross-sectional design with data from a larger project, the "Rio Grande Live Birth Cohort". Data collection occurred at two moments: during the perinatal study, in 2019, and in the second wave of the WebCOVID-19 study, in 2020. The sample consisted of 880 women who reported living with partners and answered specific questions about alcohol consumption, tobacco and exposure to intimate partner violence. Violence was measured with an instrument adapted from the World Health Organization, while alcohol and tobacco consumption was assessed through questions about changes in these behaviors during the pandemic. Statistical analyzes included Pearson's chi square test (χ²) for bivariate analysis and Poisson regression for multivariate analyses, with estimates of prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals. All analyzes were carried out using Stata software, version 16. Among women who smoked and those who consumed alcohol during the pandemic, the prevalence of intimate partner violence was 28% and 21,5%, respectively. Of these women, 19,2% increased their alcohol consumption and 51,5% increased their tobacco consumption during the period analyzed. A significant association was observed between intimate partner violence and increased tobacco consumption. Women exposed to intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic were 78 (95% IC 1,24-2,56) times more likely to increase their tobacco consumption. On the other hand, no significant association was found between intimate partner violence and increased alcohol consumption (1,05%; 95% IC 0,56-1,94). The findings suggest that women exposed to intimate partner violence during the early months of the pandemic were more likely to increase their tobacco consumption, which may worsen health risks for these women. On the other hand, no significant association was observed between alcohol consumption, which points to the complexity of this behavior in crisis contexts. It is concluded that it is very important to develop actions and interventions aimed at the protection and comprehensive care of women who suffer intimate partner violence, especially in crisis situations such as the pandemic.