Acceptability of caesarean delivery to antenatal patients in a tertiary health facility in south-west Nigeria

Summary

Today, caesarean section is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures the world over. Despite the well-documented record of safety, the strong aversion of women in sub-Saharan Africa to the procedure, especially in the presence of life-threatening indications, is of great concern to many obstetricians. This cross-sectional study, aimed at assessing the knowledge of the patients about caesarean section and its acceptability as mode of delivery, was conducted among antenatal patients at a University Teaching Hospital in south-west Nigeria. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used. Among the 201 patients surveyed, a high level of acceptability of caesarean section (85%) was found. However, 96.5% of those who would accept would give consent only after seeking the opinion of other people, especially their husbands. Previous major surgery and caesarean section were found to favour its acceptability, while age, tribe, marital status and the woman or her husband's educational status did not have any influence. With proper health education, especially during antenatal care, many more women would find caesarean section acceptable.