Birth Preferences of Health Professionals in Eastern Turkey:Cesarean Section Rates Still on the Rise:A Cross-Sectional Study
Ezel Bilge Yerli1, Elif Oksan Calikoglu1, Berrin Goktug Kadioglu21Department of Public Health, Ataturk University Faculty of Medicine, Erzurum, Turkey, 2Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics, University of Health Sciences, Erzurum Regional Training Hospital, (Nenehatun Maternity Hospital), Erzurum ,Turkey
Objectives: The incidence rates of primary Cesarean section (CS) delivery in Turkey have jumped from 21.2% in 2003 to 53.1% in 2016, exceeding by over thrice the maximum 15% recommended 30 years ago by the WHO. While this trend has been partly attributed to maternal request, few studies have actually examined the delivery preferences of women. Even fewer studies have focused on health professionals as a parturient subpopulation. This study aims at determining the Turkish health personnel’s preferred types of birth, the reasons, and the factors associated with their preferences. Methods: Randomly selected from a total eligible population of 2032 female healthcare, the workers were actively employed during the study time in Erzurum, 450 women were surveyed in their work settings througha a 23-item structured questionnaire. Data for 412 women was analyzed using Student's T-test, Pearson’s Chi-Square test, and Logistic Regression analysis. Results: The participants gave birth to a total of 568 live deliveries, of which 331 (58.3%) were by CS. Out of the 288 women who gave birth to a baby, 197 (68.4%) experienced at least one CS delivery. Medical doctors had the highest CS rates 85.5% (n=47), followed by academic staff 73.0% (n=27), paramedics, 72.2% (n=13), nurses 66.3% (n=53), and midwives 58.2% (n=57) (Chi-Square=12.804, p=0.012). Of the participants, 165 (57.2%) had an antenatal visit to secondary care hospitals, while only 46 women (15.9%) visited their family physician. Conclusion: Compared to the general population, Cesarean deliveries are more common among Turkish health professionals. The even higher CS rates among medical doctors suggest that although education campaigns might be useful to reduce this risky health behavior, more radical steps need to be taken, including economic measures and policy changes,preferably the legislation by the state. Keywords: Abdominal delivery, birth preference, cesarean section, C-section, health personnel, Turkey
Cite This Article
Yerli E, Oksan Calikoglu E, Goktug Kadioglu B. Birth Preferences of Health Professionals in Eastern Turkey:Cesarean Section Rates Still on the Rise:A Cross-Sectional Study. EJMI. 2020; 4(4): 433-441
Corresponding Author: Elif Oksan Calikoglu