Prevalence of Caesarean Section amongst Women Attending Antenatal and Immunization Clinics at Madonna University Teaching Hospital, Elele, Rivers State, Nigeria

Introduction: A Caesarean section (CS) is a major obstetric life-saving surgical procedure that is carried out to improve delivery outcomes and reduce maternal mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that the prevalence of caesarean sections not exceed 15%. Even though this advice is offered, statistics show that caesarean section rates are high in underdeveloped countries, with national and regional variations within the same country. Promoting vaginal delivery after a CS, avoiding CS because of social stigma, and assessing fetal distress before starting CS are some of the strategies being attempted to stop this increase in CS rates. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of caesarean section amongst women attending antenatal and immunization clinics at Madonna University Teach- ing Hospital, Elele, Rivers State. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was done from September to December 2023. A simple random sampling technique by balloting was used in the selection of the study participants. Data was collected using a semi- structured questionnaire and were analyzed using SPSS v25. Results: A total of 359 respondents participated in the study, which gave a 99.7% response rate. The mean age of respondents was 31.98 years, with a standard deviation of 6.2 years. The majority of respondents (67.4%) were Igbo by tribe, and most of them (84.4%) were married. The prevalence of CS was 45.7%. Elective CS had the highest frequency (67.3%), and previous CS was the indication with the highest frequency (16.0%). ANC attendance had a statistically significant association with the prevalence of caesarean section and also with the type of caesarean section done with more elective CS among respondents with a p-value of 0.0001. Conclusion: High rates of caesarean sections were found in the study. Those who had previously undergone a caesarean section made up the majority.