Factors Contributing to Rapidly Increasing Rates of Caesarean Section in Andhra Pradesh, India: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

Introduction In some obstetric situations, a caesarean section (CS) can be a crucial, life-saving treatment for both the mother and the infant. Nonetheless, unnecessary CS can raise the risk of morbidity for both. The present study was conducted to study the factors associated with CS delivery and to study the patterns of utilization of health facilities by pregnant women in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Materials and methods A community-based case-control study was done in Mangalagiri mandal, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India in 2022. A total of 268 mothers (134 CS and 134 normal vaginal childbirth) who delivered between 2019 to 2022 with at least one biological child less than three years of age were studied. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Robson's 10-Group Classification was used to differentiate the type of deliveries of the participants. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered to be significant. Results The mean age of the 268 women studied was 25.49±3.73 years. We found that 47 of the 82 (57.3%) women who went to government healthcare facilities and 87 of the 181 (48.1%) women who went to private healthcare facilities had a CS. Of the total CS studied, approximately 83.5% were emergency CSs. All four mothers who had twins had undergone CS. All women with oblique or transverse fetal lie underwent CS irrespective of parity. On multivariate analysis, participants' education status less than or equal to 10th standard was positively associated with CS and identification of complications in the third trimester by healthcare provider was significantly protective for CS. Conclusion CS rate reduction necessitates a multi-faceted strategy that includes a variety of programming initiatives. Audits of CS performed as part of health programs and other creative monitoring techniques can be useful tools for assessing the standard of maternity care, particularly emergency CS.; Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. (Copyright © 2023, Reddy B et al.)