Do Italian women prefer cesarean section? Results from a survey on mode of delivery preferences.

ABSTRACT:

Background

About 20 million cesareans occur each year in the world and rates have steadily increased in almost all middle- and high-income countries over the last decades. Maternal request is often argued as one of the key forces driving this increase. Italy has the highest cesarean rate of Europe, yet there are no national surveys on the views of Italian women about their preferences on route of delivery. This study aimed to assess Italian women's preference for mode of delivery, as well as reasons and factors associated with this preference, in a nationally representative sample of women.

Methods

This cross sectional survey was conducted between December 2010-March 2011. An anonymous structured questionnaire asked participants what was their preferred mode of delivery and

SUBMITTER: Torloni MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3621281 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature