Contribution of women's preference to the overuse of caesarean sections: A propensity score matching analysis based on a multi-country cross-sectional survey, as part of the QUALI-DEC project.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Maternal request for caesarean section has often been cited to justify the increasing caesarean section rates worldwide. However, we lack evidence on the impact of women's preference for caesarean section on this dramatic tendency. Given the need to develop appropriate strategies to reduce unnecessary caesarean section, the objective of this study was to assess the association between women's preference for caesarean section and its actual use, and to estimate the proportion of caesarean section associated with women's preference for caesarean section in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Methods

A cross-sectional hospital-based survey among postpartum women was conducted in 32 hospitals (8 per country) between 2020 and 2022. We selected women with

SUBMITTER: Etcheverry C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12714225 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature