Predictors of caesarean section - a cross-sectional study in Hungary

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2018 Feb;31(3):320-324. doi: 10.1080/14767058.2017.1285888. Epub 2017 Feb 8.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the factors associated with caesarean section (CS) at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Szeged, Hungary.

Study design: Data collection was based on self-administered questionnaire and medical records related to the deliveries in the year of 2014. Maternal age, education level, marital status, pre-gestational body mass index (BMI), infertility treatment, previous CS, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pre-pregnancy hypertension and pregnancy-induced hypertension (HT/PIH) were examined. The participation rate was 67.3%, multiple pregnancies and questionnaires with missing data were excluded (n = 1493). Univariate and multivariate comparisons were performed.

Results: There were 1125 (45.4%) CSs out of 2479 deliveries. CS rate: 40.0%. Underweight 109 (7.1%), normal 921 (60.2%), overweight 320 (20.9%) obese 181 (11.8%).

Ht/pih: 7.6% (n = 117), GDM: 10.1% (n = 155). The odds of CS were significantly higher among obese mothers (OR: 1.81) compared with the normal weight group. Increasing maternal age (OR: 0.97) and being underweight (OR: 0.59) significantly decreased, previous CS (OR: 12.19), infertility treatment (OR: 1.91) and HT/PIH (OR: 1.87) significantly increased the probability of CS.

Conclusions: Pre-gestational obesity, infertility treatment, previous CS and HT/PIH had significant effect on the mode of delivery.

Keywords: Caesarean section; body mass index; hypertension; infertility treatment; obesity.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cesarean Section / statistics & numerical data*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hungary
  • Pregnancy
  • Young Adult