Prevalence and Associated Factors for Cesarean Section among Women at a Tertiary Care Hospital, Nepal

Background: There has been a global rise in caesarean section (CS) rates including Nepal. Though caesarean birth reduces maternal mortality and morbidity but is associated with short and long-term risks. The main objective of this study was to find out the prevalence and factors associated with caesarean section among women admitted at a tertiary care hospital. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at postnatal ward of Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital. Women who had either vaginal or caesarean birth during the study period were included in the study. A non-probability consecutive sampling technique was adopted to include 178 women. Data were collected through face-to-face interview technique and hospital records. Descriptive and chi-square analysis were done to find out the factors associated with caesarean birth. Results The mean age of women was 24.64 (± 4.64) years. In majority, both the woman and her spouse had acquired secondary-level education which was 43.3% and 46.1% respectively. Few (14%) of the women were working. Half of the women were primiparous and few (14%) had a prior history of cesarean birth. More than half (51.7%) have ANC visits more than 4 times. More than one-third (37.1%) women have had their labour induced. The prevalence of CS was 38.2%. The major indications for CS were previous CS and fetal distress which were 23.45 and 20.98 respectively. Variables such as age, education, parity, and previous CS were significantly associated with CS with p-value ≤ 0.05. Conclusions: The overall magnitude of CS in this study exceeds the WHO-recommended critical threshold of 10-15%. Age, education, parity, and previous CS were significantly associated with cesarean birth. A judicious decision is an utmost priority while selecting a case for primary CS as it is evident that previous CS has the highest likelihood of having subsequent CS.