PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS CAESAREAN
SECTION - THE VIEWS ARE CHANGING: FINDINGS AMONG
ANTENATAL ATTENDEES IN A NIGER DELTA TERTIARY FACILITY

Volume 10 Number 3 - 4 July - December 2022
Abah MG and Umoh AV
Background: Aversion towards Caesarean section and its outright rejection by parturient have been widely reported in Nigeria. Objective: This study was conducted with the objective of assessing the perception and attitude towards Caesarean section by pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in a Niger Delta tertiary facility. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study involving 500 women interviewed using selfadministered semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaires with open and close ended questions. Their socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, perception and attitude towards Caesarean section were inquired Results: The mean age of the women was 29.1years (SD?). Most of the women were Christians (98.6%), married (91.3%) and had tertiary level of education (61.2%). Majority (85.9%) had knowledge of Caesarean section; but while 89.7% will support and accept it if offered, 10.3% were averse to it for reasons ranging from fear of death (33%) to its being expensive (3%). Conclusions: Against the widely held believe, there was both good knowledge and acceptability of Caesarean section by our women. However there is the need for education towards total acceptance and similar studies in other regions as well as its inclusion in the next national health survey
10.47837/CMJ.19770126.201531167
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