The Effect of Socioeconomic Factors on Cesarean Section Rate in Hospitals of Ardabil Province in 2009

Caesarean section refers to surgical procedure by which babies are delivered through incisions that made on mother''s abdomen and uterus. Cesarean section rates in Iran and Ardabil province are high. This study aimed to investigate the effects of socioeconomic and other nonmedical factors on caesarean section rate. This cross-sectional study was performed on 1200 women referred to governmental، private، and social security organization hospitals of Ardabil province using cluster sampling method. Data were collected through a questionnaire and interview and were analyzed by Chi-square using SPSS version 11. 5. According to the results، cesarean section accounted for 54. 6% of all deliveries in Ardabil province. The highest rate of cesarean section (i. e. 93%) was observed in a private hospital. The cesarean section rates in other hospitals were different. There were significant correlations between cesarean section and age، education، economic status، employment، birth order، cesarean history، type of insurance، type of hospital، residence area، possessing personal car، number of children، satisfaction rate، and type of delivery selection. There was no significant correlation between complementary insurance and type of delivery. Although cesarean section has been realized as a life saving effort for both mother and child، however، its rate is rising due to social، economic، and nonmedical factors. Based on WHO report، cesarean prevalence of higher than 15% is not justifiable. Different social، economic، and nonmedical factors influence this rate.