Perception of Caesarean Section among Pregnant Women in a Rural Missionary Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Caesarean section is the delivery of a foetus through an incision made on the uterus. It is useful in situations where vaginal delivery is not feasible. Women in our setting usually see it as a reproductive failure and a sign of weakness. Our aim was to evaluate the perception of caesarean section among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in a rural missionary hospital. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Mile 4 missionary hospital, Abakaliki among women attending routine antenatal clinic. Information was obtained from respondents with the aid of a questionnaire. Ethical clearance was obtained for the study. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Results: A total of 209 pregnant women participated in this study. Their age ranged from 14 to 43 with a mean age of 27 ± 5 years. One hundred and seventy two women (82.3%) have heard of caesarean section in the past. Eighteen (8.6%) have had caesarean section in the past while 5 were not willing to undergo the procedure again. Sixty (28.7%) are not willing to undergo caesarean section even when it is indicated. Conclusion: Despite awareness of caesarean section, women do not appear to have a positive attitude towards the procedure.

Perceptions about caesarean section among women and health care providers: a qualitative study in a rural maternity hospital in Karnataka, India

“…In the study conducted at Abakaliki, Nigeria among women attending routine antenatal clinic, fear of death was the major reason women refused caesarean section. 1 This was not seen in this study, as the women in this study had better access to information and education, as compared to their Nigerian counterparts.…”

“…Caesarean section is an alternative for women when a vaginal delivery is not possible. 1 The indications for a caesarean section could be maternal or foetal. It is a relatively safe surgical procedure, though there may be some associated complications.…”

Public Health aspects of Cesarean section including overuse and underuse of the procedure

“…On the contrary, there have been reports from many countries especially West African countries where mothers have said they would refuse to undergo a CS even when medically indicated [34][35][36][37]. Informed refusals especially when the fetus's life is at risk is challenging.…”

“…One Nigerian study (n=413) reported of mothers (12%) unwilling to accept the procedure under any circumstance [36]. Reports of refusals are mostly from low income countries [34,35,38], but a small proportion are also reported from high income countries [37].…”

“…Many studies from African countries show poor knowledge even among mothers who attend antenatal care (ANC) clinics there are reports of mothers who have never heard of CS. One Nigerian study reported a rate 17.7% (n=209) and a study done in Ghana reported 4% (n=317) of mothers who were unaware/have never heard of the procedure [34,35].…”