Table 1.
Frequency of caesarean sections according to family and maternal characteristics in 5304 women in Pelotas, 1993
| Characteristic | % (No) of caesarean sections |
|---|---|
| Family income (minimum salaries)* | |
| ⩽1 | 23.5 (231/984) |
| 1.1-3 | 25.1 (572/2279) |
| 3.1-6 | 33.3 (406/1218) |
| >6 | 50.0 (411/823) |
| P value† | <0.001 |
| Maternal schooling (years) | |
| 0-4 | 22.4 (334/1492) |
| 5-8 | 27.5 (672/2448) |
| ⩾9 | 45.0 (614/1364) |
| P value† | <0.001 |
| No of antenatal visits | |
| 0-4 | 16.6 (157/943) |
| 5-9 | 28.0 (797/2852) |
| 10-20 | 44.3 (663/1497) |
| P value† | <0.001 |
| Parity | |
| Primiparous | 34.0 (631/1860) |
| Multiparous | 28.7 (989/3444) |
| P value† | <0.001 |
| Birth history‡ | |
| Previous normal birth | 14.0 (354/2538) |
| Previous caesarean section | 83.3 (532/639) |
| P value† | <0.001 |
| Gestational risk | |
| Low (0-2) | 36.4 (500/1372) |
| Medium (3-7) | 28.8 (949/3294) |
| High (⩾8) | 26.8 (171/637) |
| P value† | <0.001 |
| Induction | |
| No | 37.6 (1358/3609) |
| Yes | 15.5 (262/1695) |
| P value† | <0.001 |
| Maternal power† | |
| Less (0-1) | 10.6 (5/47) |
| More (⩾2) | 51.6 (16/31) |
| P value† | <0.001 |
| Medicalised approach towards birth‡ | |
| Less (0-2) | 14.0 (7/50) |
| More (⩾3) | 46.7 (14/30) |
| P value† | 0.001 |
*
One minimum salary=$100 (£70).
†
χ2 test for heterogeneity.
‡
Primiparous women excluded.
§
Information available only for mothers in ethnographic sample.