Table 5.
Prevalence of Caesarean section delivery by selected explanatory variables in Tamil Nadu
| Tamil Nadu | NFHS-4 | NFHS-5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (2015-16) | (2019-21) | |||
| Variable | % | p-value | % | p-value |
| Caste | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | ||
| Scheduled Castes | 31.8 | 44.4 | ||
| Scheduled Tribes | 30.8 | 34.0 | ||
| Other Backward Castes | 37.4 | 48.9 | ||
| Others | 46.1 | 49.6 | ||
| Religion | < 0.001 | 0.026 | ||
| Hindu | 35.0 | 47.3 | ||
| Muslim | 39.3 | 45.4 | ||
| Others | 46.1 | 50.3 | ||
| Type of Residence | 0.001 | 0.008 | ||
| Urban | 37.5 | 49.3 | ||
| Rural | 34.2 | 45.8 | ||
| Woman’s education level | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | ||
| Illiterate | 26.8 | 32.1 | ||
| Primary | 31.3 | 46.9 | ||
| Secondary | 34.5 | 43.8 | ||
| Higher | 42.5 | 52.7 | ||
| Age at marriage | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | ||
| Below 18 years | 27.2 | 38.1 | ||
| 18 years or above | 37.8 | 49.0 | ||
| Exposure to media | 0.478 | 0.706 | ||
| Nil | 32.9 | 48.8 | ||
| Partial | 36.2 | 47.0 | ||
| Full | 34.1 | 50.1 | ||
| Number of ANC visits | 0.032 | 0.058 | ||
| 0 | 32.3 | 46.5 | ||
| 1–3 | 31.7 | 50.0 | ||
| 4+ | 36.7 | 47.3 | ||
| Woman’s age | < 0.001 | 0.117 | ||
| 15–24 | 30.4 | 40.3 | ||
| 25–34 | 37.6 | 48.8 | ||
| 35–49 | 45.8 | 60.3 | ||
| Size of child at birth | 0.082 | 0.011 | ||
| Average | 34.6 | 46.5 | ||
| Small | 35.8 | 50.5 | ||
| Large | 38.7 | 49.7 | ||
| Woman’s BMI | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | ||
| Underweight | 25.9 | 33.8 | ||
| Normal | 35.4 | 46.6 | ||
| Overweight | 57.3 | 60.6 | ||
| Pregnancy Complications | 0.197 | < 0.001 | ||
| No | 34.7 | 45.5 | ||
| Present | 42.6 | 51.6 | ||
| Ever had a terminated pregnancy | < 0.001 | 0.054 | ||
| No | 34.8 | 46.8 | ||
| Yes | 37.1 | 50.5 | ||
| Birth Order | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | ||
| 1 | 39.2 | 52.4 | ||
| 2 | 36.8 | 47.0 | ||
| 3 | 23.4 | 32.7 | ||
| 4+ | 15.1 | 28.1 | ||
| Wealth Quintile | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | ||
| Poor | 28.6 | 38.9 | ||
| Non-poor | 37.3 | 48.8 | ||
| Place Of Delivery | < 0.001 | < 0.001 | ||
| Public | 27.6 | 38.9 | ||
| Private | 52.7 | 64.2 | ||