title: Formal education does not improve the acceptance of cesarean section among pregnant Nigerian women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between formal education, personal beliefs and the acceptance of cesarean section among pregnant Nigerians.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire survey was made of antenatal mothers seen over a 5-month period at a tertiary hospital in Enugu, Nigeria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1148 subjects were interviewed. Although as a single variable, formal education was significantly related to a more favorable attitude to cesarean section among the respondents, it ceased to be related when their beliefs about the operation were corrected for.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pregnant Nigerians' beliefs about cesarean section are more important than formal education in determining whether or not they accept it, hence the need to correct such false beliefs during antenatal classes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. hyacinon@infoweb.abs.net
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Onah
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000523:psychology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D009549:Nigeria; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires