Differences in the prevalence of cesarean section and associated factors in private and public healthcare systems in Peru.

BACKGROUND

Cesarean section rates have been steadily increasing worldwide. Private health facilities are reported as being a major contributor to this rising rate in Latin America.

AIM: To assess the prevalence and determinants of cesarean section rates among public and private health facilities in Peru.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analytical study pooling the data of 52,215 women between 15 and 49 years of age from the 2015-2017 Peruvian Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES) database. Sociodemographic and pregnancy-related variables were used to construct adjusted logistic regression models for the indication of cesarean section.

FINDINGS: The prevalence of cesarean births was 73.0% (95%CI: 71.1-74.9) and 30.3% (95% CI: 29.6-31.0) in private and public health facilities, respectively. In private facilities, living in an urban area, having a higher educational level, being in the age group of 35-49 years, and having multiple pregnancies increased the probability of a cesarean section. In public health facilities, living in an urban area, having a higher wealth quintile, higher education level, older maternal age, birth order, newborn size and gender, type of pregnancy, language, and maternal height were all factors associated with cesarean section.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of cesarean section found in the present study was above the value recommended by the WHO (10%) for both public and private facilities. It is necessary to address the indiscriminate rise in the use of cesarean sections, developing strategies according to the type of health facility.