Table 2.
Prognostic factors for preference for elective caesarean section (CS) and delivery by elective CS among 1789 pregnant Norwegian women
| Preference for elective CS | Delivery by elective CS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variables | No. persons | Cases (%) | Adjusted OR | Cases (%) | Adjusted OR |
| (95 % CI) | (95 % CI) | ||||
| Fear of childbirth week 32 (W-DEQ) | |||||
| Low score (<85) | 1655 | 130 (7.9) | 1.0 | 73 (4.4) | 1.0 |
| High score (≥85) | 134 | 44 (32.8) | 4.6 (2.9–7.3)*** | 17 (12.7) | 2.4 (1.2–4.9)* |
| Social support | |||||
| Strong | 725 | 58 (8.0) | 1.0 | 30 (4.1) | 1.0 |
| Moderate | 895 | 94 (10.5) | 1.1 (0.8–1.6) | 48 (5.4) | 1.4 (0.8–2.4) |
| Poor | 169 | 22 (13.0) | 1.0 (0.6–1.9) | 12 (7.1) | 2.0 (0.9–4.6) |
| Educational level (years) | |||||
| ≤ 12 | 554 | 72 (13.0) | 1.0 | 35 (6.3) | 1.0 |
| > 12 | 1235 | 102 (8.3) | 0.6 (0.4–0.9)** | 55 (4.5) | 0.9 (0.5–1.5) |
| Maternal age (years) | |||||
| ≤ 25 | 177 | 20 (11.3) | 1.0 | 7 (4.0) | 1.0 |
| 26–35 | 1269 | 116 (9.1) | 1.0 (0.6–1.7) | 56 (4.4) | 0.9 (0.4–2.2) |
| ≥ 36 | 343 | 38 (11.1) | 1.3 (0.7–2.5) | 27 (7.9) | 1.6 (0.6–4.4) |
| Sexual abuse | |||||
| No | 1490 | 132 (8.9) | 1.0 | 71 (4.8) | 1.0 |
| Coerced | 211 | 28 (13.3) | 1.4 (0.9–2.3) | 11 (5.2) | 0.9 (0.4–1.9) |
| Forced | 88 | 14 (15.9) | 1.0 (0.5–2.0) | 8 (9.1) | 0.7 (0.3–1.8) |
| Mental health | |||||
| No mental impairment | 1585 | 136 (8.6) | 1.0 | 75 (4.7) | 1.0 |
| Anxiety or depression | 131 | 24 (18.3) | 1.7 (1.0–2.9)* | 8 (6.1) | 0.9 (0.4–2.2) |
| Both anxiety and depression | 73 | 14 (19.2) | 1.1 (0.5–2.2) | 7 (9.6) | 0.9 (0.3–2.5) |
| Medical risk factors | |||||
| None | 1422 | 107 (7.5) | 1.0 | 21 (1.5) | 1.0 |
| One | 313 | 53 (16.9) | 2.4 (1.6–3.5)*** | 56 (17.9) | 14.3 (8.3–24.8)*** |
| Two or more | 54 | 14 (25.9) | 4.3 (2.2–8.7)*** | 13 (24.1) | 21.6 (9.6–48.7)*** |
| Previous overall birth experience | |||||
| Good | 845 | 63 (7.5) | 1.0 | 38 (4.5) | 1.0 |
| Bad | 72 | 26 (36.1) | 4.1 (2.2–7.4)*** | 23 (31.9) | 8.1 (3.9–16.7)*** |
| No previous delivery experience | 872 | 85 (9.7) | 1.4 (0.9–2.0) | 29 (3.3) | 1.0 (0.6–1.7) |
The associations are estimated as adjusted odds ratios with 95 % confidence intervals. All study factors are mutually adjusted in the logistic regression model. Marital status was also included in the logistic regression analyses, but not significantly associated with preference for elective caesarean section or delivery by elective caesarean section and therefore not included in the table. *Statistically significant at 0.05 level, ** at 0.01 level, *** at 0.001 level. OR odds ratio, CI confidence interval