Understanding Childbirth Perceptions Among Healthcare Providers: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the Birth Beliefs Scale

Aim Healthcare providers’ beliefs about childbirth, as a natural or medical process, shape labor management and women’s birthing experiences. This study aimed to objectively assess providers’ attitudes using the Birth Beliefs Scale (BBS). Materials and methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted during a maternity-care conference at a tertiary center in November 2025. Participants completed a web-based questionnaire based on the BBS. The survey assessed beliefs about birth as a natural process, such as seeing birth as normal, safe, and something women’s bodies are designed for, emphasizing trust in the body, acceptance of pain as intrinsic, and minimal intervention unless necessary. Questions on beliefs about birth as a medical process covered perceptions of childbirth as dangerous and risky, safe only in hindsight, requiring medical supervision, and viewing labor pain as unnecessary and manageable pharmacologically. Independent t-tests compared continuous variables between two groups, while one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc tests assessed differences across multiple groups. Ordinal alpha coefficients evaluated the internal consistency of both BBS subscales, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Given the ordinal nature of Likert-scale items, the ordinal alpha coefficient was employed to assess internal consistency and reliability of the two BBS subscales within this study population, accounting for potential differences from the original validation context. Results Of the 178 respondents, 56 (31.5%) were obstetricians, 52 (29.2%) midwives, 18 (10.1%) nurses, 12 (6.7%) childbirth educators, 11 (6.2%) doulas, and 29 (6.3%) others. Among the respondents, 104 (58.4%) worked in the private sector. Overall, BBS-natural scores were high. However, BBS-medical scores differed significantly by age, profession, and sector. Younger providers, obstetricians, and private-sector clinicians showed stronger beliefs favoring medical intervention during childbirth. Conclusion Participants largely endorsed naturalistic views of birth, but attitudes varied substantially across provider groups, age brackets, and practice settings. These differences reflect the influence of training and institutional culture on childbirth perceptions. Targeted inter-professional education, supportive institutional policies, and strengthened midwifery models may help promote balanced, evidence-based, woman-centered maternity care in India.