Factors associated with caesarean section among primiparous adolescents in Brazil, 2011-2012

Abstract

This paper presents the factors associated with caesarean section in primiparous adolescents in Brazil using data from a national hospital based survey conducted between 2011 and 2012. Information was obtained from postpartum women through face-to-face and telephone in terviews and a theoretical model with three lev els of hierarchy was used to analyze associations with the dependent variable mode of delivery (caesarean or vaginal). The results show that the caesarean section rate among primiparous teenagers is high (40%). The most significant contributing factors for caesarean section were: considering this mode of delivery safer (OR = 7.0; 95%CI: 4.3-11.4); giving birth under the private health system (OR = 4.3; 95%CI: 2.3-9.0); being attended by the same health care professional throughout prenatal care and delivery (OR = 5.7; 95%CI: 3.3-9.0) and clinical history of risk and complications during pregnancy (OR = 10.8; 95%CI: 8.5-13.7). Adolescent pregnancy contin ues to be an important concern on the reproduc tive health agenda and the rates observed by this study are worrying given the effects of early ex posure to caesarean section.