Healthy People 2010 – Women's and Men's Health: A Comparison of Select Indicators

Physical Assault by Intimate Partners

Table of Contents | Previous | Next

Physical Assault by Intimate Partners

15-34. Reduce the rate of physical assault on persons aged 12 years and older by current or former intimate partners.*

Measure: Rate per 1,000 population.

Target: 3.3 physical assaults per 1,000 population.

Baseline (1998): Female victims, 7.2 physical assaults per 1,000 population; male victims, 1.3 assaults per 1,000 population.

Most recent data (2005): Females, 3.3 assaults per 1,000 females; males, 0.8 assaults per 1,000 males.

* Intimate relationships involve current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends, including same-sex relationships. These relationships are not included: relatives (parent, child, sibling, grandparent, in-law, cousin); acquaintances (friend, coworker, neighbor, schoolmate, someone known); or strangers (anyone not previously known by the victim).

Physical assault by intimate partners represents a serious problem that can have lasting, harmful effects on victims and their families, friends, and communities.

Since 1992, intimate partner assaults on female victims have declined from 8.8 per 1,000 population in 1992 to 3.3 in 2005, achieving the Healthy People 2010 target of 3.3 physical assaults per 1,000 population (figure 11).

Figure 11. Physical Assaults by Current and Former Intimate Partners of Persons Aged 12 and Older, by Gender (1992 — 2005)

Figure 11. Physical assaults by current and former intimate partners of persons aged 12 and older, by gender (1992 - 2005). Text-only data points for the figure follow this image.

Healthy People 2010 Target (3.3 per 1,000 population)*

Rate per 1,000 population	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Female victims	8.8	7.9	7.5	6.8	6.7	7.2	7.2	5.3	4.4	4.6	3.8	3.8	3.4	3.3
Male victims	1.4	1.6	0.9	1.3	1	1.3	1.3	1.1	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.6	1.2	0.8

* The Healthy People 2010 target calls for a decrease in this measure.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey.

Although the 2010 target has been achieved for females, the assault rate on female victims is four times that for male victims. The assault rate for male victims has been relatively stable since 1992 and well below the Healthy People 2010 target of 3.3 physical assaults per 1,000 population. The 2005 rate for males was 0.8 assaults per 1,000 population.

Table of Contents | Previous | Next

Content last updated July 1, 2009.

Return to top

womenshealth.gov
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
200 Independence Avenue, S.W. • Washington, DC 20201