Caesarean section a better pathway to safe motherhood: perception of adults in Ekiti state, South Western Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Caesarean section also known as C-section (CS), is a surgical procedure in which incisions are made through a mother’s abdomen (laparotomy) and uterus (hysterotomy) to deliver one or more babies. In developing countries such as Nigeria, the incidence of CS is below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended rate of 10-15%. This has been attributed to several factors impeding the acceptance and attitude of adults to CS, subsequently leading to increasing rates of maternal mortality in Nigeria. The aim of this study is to assess the acceptance and attitude of CS among adults in Ekiti state, South western, Nigeria.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study design. Data were collected using a pre-tested, semi structured, interviewer administered questionnaire and analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 25.Results: About half of the respondents, (50.3%) had a positive attitude towards CS while 49.7% had a negative attitude towards CS, 69% were willing to accept CS if necessary while about 31% wouldn’t accept CS no matter the indication.Conclusions: This study showed that though a good number of respondents had positive attitude towards CS, however, a few numbers of respondents were unyielding to accept CS no matter the circumstances.