Chilean women's preferences regarding mode of delivery: which do they prefer and why?
OBJECTIVE
Caesarean section rates in Chile are reported to be as high as 60% in some populations. The purpose of this study was to determine pregnant Chilean women's preferences towards mode of delivery.


METHODS
Interviewer-administered cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Prenatal clinics in Santiago, Chile. Population Pregnant women in Santiago, Chile.


METHODS
Of 180 women completing the questionnaire, 90 were interviewed at a private clinic (caesarean delivery rate 60%) and 90 were interviewed at a public clinic (cesarean delivery rate 22%). Data collected included demographics, preferred mode of delivery, and women's attitudes towards vaginal and caesarean deliveries.


METHODS
Mode of delivery preferences, perceptions of mode of delivery measured on a 1-7 Likert scale.


RESULTS
The majority of women (77.8%) preferred vaginal delivery, 9.4% preferred caesarean section, and 12.8% had no preference. There was no statistical difference in preference between the public clinic (11% preferred caesarean) and the private clinic (8% preferred caesarean, P= 0.74). Overall, women preferring caesarean birth were slightly older than other groups (31.6 years, versus 28.4 years for women who preferred vaginal and 27.3 years for women who had no preference, P= 0.05), but there were otherwise no differences in parity, income, or education. On a scale of 1-7, women preferring caesarean birth rated vaginal birth as more painful, while women preferring vaginal birth rated it as less painful (5.8 versus 3.7, P= 0.003). Whether vaginal or caesarean, each group felt that their preferred mode of delivery was safer for their baby (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Chilean women do not prefer caesarean section to vaginal delivery, even in a practice setting where caesarean delivery is more prevalent. Thus, women's preferences is unlikely to be the most significant factor driving the high caesarean rates in Chile.
Angeja
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AC
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.
Washington
A E
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Vargas
J E
JE
Gomez
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Rojas
I
I
Caughey
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AB
D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002677:Chile; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D017149:Private Sector; D017150:Public Sector