Caesarean section on maternal request in north-eastern Nigeria: Women’s knowledge, perception and attitude (original) (raw)
Background: Caesarean delivery is the most widely performed major obstetric surgery globally and the incidence is rising. Aim: To document the views of pregnant women in two tertiary institutions in Nigeria towards caesarean delivery on maternal request. Methods: A cross-sectional study of pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinics of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Federal Medical Centre, Yola from August to October 2009. Results: A total of 254 women were interviewed. The age ranged from 18-43 years with a mean of 28.56+5.60 years. The mean parity was 2.71+1.96. Majority, 204 (80.3%) respondents were aware of caesarean delivery with 90 (44.1%) of the information obtained from friends. Sixteen (6.3%) believed that having caesarean section was due to failure of reproductive function of a woman, with 106 (41.7%) citing destiny as reason for caesarean delivery. Most, 226 (89.0%), would not request for caesarean section. The commonest reason for caesarean section on maternal request was avoidance of labour pain, 16 (57.1%). Education ( 2 =33.561, P=0.000) and occupation ( 2 =26.205, P=0.003) had influence on knowledge of caesarean delivery. Education however, had no influence on maternal request for caesarean delivery ( 2 =5.810, P=0.121). Although majority ( 2 =2.589, P=0.000) would prefer vaginal delivery, none of the respondents would decline caesarean delivery if indicated. Conclusion: The knowledge, perception and attitude toward caesarean delivery are encouraging. The low number of maternal request for caesarean will serve as a benchmark for the future especially with the increasing penchant for smaller family sizes among the urban educated elites.
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