Knowledge and attitude of pregnant women towards mode of delivery in Tehran, Iran

Normal vaginal delivery is defined as the best method of delivery. However, its rate is decreasing. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women towards mode of delivery.
In this cross- sectional study, 702 pregnant women were studied. They were referring to public and private urban health care centers and hospital in Tehran, Iran. The data were collected by a questioner with items on demographic, knowledge and attitude.
The results showed that the majority of the participants had moderate knowledge on selecting a mode of delivery (47.6%). Overall 62.5% had a positive attitude to vaginal delivery, 31.5% were neutral, and 3.3% had a negative attitude to vaginal delivery. The figures for cesarean delivery ere: 20.5%, 60.1%, 19.4% respectively.
Despite government efforts to promote natural childbirth, yet actual knowledge and attitude towards natural delivery is not desirable. Perhaps educational interventions are needed to promote vaginal delivery.