Factors associated with the use of caesarean section in sub-Saharan Africa
| Variables | Had caesarean section | Unadjusted RR (95% CI) | P value | Adjusted RR (95% CI) | P value |
| Age | <0.001 | 0.003 | |||
| 15–24 | 4.8 (4.6, 5.0) | 1.0 (Reference) | 1.0 (Reference) | ||
| 25–29 | 5.4 (5.2, 5.7) | 1.09 (1.02 to 1.17) | 1.50 (1.40 to 1.61) | ||
| 30–34 | 5.8 (5.5, 6.1) | 1.15 (1.03 to 1.28) | 2.09 (1.85 to 2.37) | ||
| 35–49 | 5.7 (5.4, 6.0) | 1.19 (1.03 to 1.37) | 3.04 (2.58 to 3.59) | ||
| Birth order no (parity) | <0.001 | 0.001 | |||
| 1 | 8.6 (8.3, 8.9) | 1.0 (Reference) | 1.0 (Reference) | ||
| 2 | 6.7 (6.4, 7.0) | 0.79 (0.75 to 0.83) | 0.68 (0.64 to 0.72) | ||
| 3 | 5.5 (5.2, 5.8) | 0.72 (0.66 to 0.78) | 0.51 (0.47 to 0.56) | ||
| 4 | 4.0 (3.7, 4.3) | 0.57 (0.51 to 0.62) | 0.37 (0.33 to 0.41) | ||
| 5 | 3.0 (2.8, 3.3) | 0.47 (0.42 to 0.54) | 0.28 (0.24 to 0.34) | ||
| 6th or higher | 2.6 (2.4, 2.8) | 0.45 (0.40 to 0.51) | 0.26 (0.22 to 0.31) | ||
| No of antenatal contacts during pregnancy | <0.001 | <0.001 | |||
| Fewer than 4 ANC | 3.6 (3.4, 3.8) | 1.0 (Reference) | 1.0 (Reference) | ||
| Four or more 4 ANC | 8.1 (7.9, 8.4) | 1.87 (1.60 to 2.18) | 1.45 (1.31 to 1.60) | ||
| Highest educational level | <0.001 | <0.001 | |||
| No education | 2.2 (2.1, 2.4) | 1.0 (Reference) | 1.0 (Reference) | ||
| Primary | 4.9 (4.6, 5.1) | 1.51 (1.29 to 1.77) | 1.17 (1.02 to 1.34) | ||
| Secondary | 10.3 (9.9, 10.7) | 2.90 (2.38 to 3.54) | 1.35 (1.16 to 1.56) | ||
| Wealth index combined | <0.001 | <0.001 | |||
| Poorest | 2.3 (2.2, 2.5) | 1.0 (Reference) | 1.0 (Reference) | ||
| Poorer | 3.1 (2.9, 3.3) | 1.29 (1.13 to 1.48) | 1.17 (1.06 to 1.28) | ||
| Middle | 4.2 (3.9, 4.5) | 1.69 (1.37 to 2.07) | 1.32 (1.17 to 1.48) | ||
| Richer | 6.6 (6.2, 6.9) | 2.58 (2.07 to 3.23) | 1.65 (1.46 to 1.87) | ||
| Richest | 12.6 (12.1, 13.2) | 4.75 (3.66 to 6.18) | 2.14 (1.84 to 2.49) | ||
| Frequency of listening to radio | <0.001 | 0.110 | |||
| Not at all | 3.4 (3.2, 3.6) | 1.0 (Reference) | 1.0 (Reference) | ||
| Less than once a week | 6.0 (5.7, 6.3) | 1.36 (1.23 to 1.50) | 1.06 (0.97 to 1.15) | ||
| At least once a week | 7.5 (7.3, 7.8) | 1.46 (1.33 to 1.60) | 1.00 (0.92 to 1.08) | ||
| Frequency of watching television | <0.001 | <0.001 | |||
| Not at all | 3.4 (3.3, 3.6) | 1.0 (Reference) | 1.0 (Reference) | ||
| Less than once a week | 6.5 (6.1, 7.0) | 1.61 (1.42 to 1.83) | 1.14 (1.04 to 1.24) | ||
| At least once a week | 10.3 (9.9, 10.7) | 2.36 (2.10 to 2.65) | 1.21 (1.10 to 1.33) | ||
| Lack of money for treatment | <0.001 | <0.001 | |||
| No problem | 7.0 (6.8, 7.3) | 1.0 (Reference) | 1.0 (Reference) | ||
| Big problem | 3.9 (3.7, 4.1) | 0.70 (0.66 0.75) | 0.93 (0.87 to 0.99) | ||
| Distance to health facility | <0.001 | 0.091 | |||
| No problem | 6.4 (6.2, 6.7) | 1.0 (Reference) | 1.0 (Reference) | ||
| Big problem | 3.6 (3.4, 3.8) | 0.72 (0.66 to 0.78) | 0.99 (0.92 to 1.06) | ||
| Type of place of residence | <0.001 | <0.001 | |||
| Urban | 9.5 (9.1, 9.9) | 1.0 (Reference) | 1.0 (Reference) | ||
| Rural | 3.6 (3.4, 3.7) | 0.35 (0.30 to 0.40) | 0.81 (0.75 to 0.88) |
RR adjusted for the dependent variable—delivery by caesarean section.
ANC, antenatal care; RR, risk ratio.