Role of Interpersonal Communication in Adoption of Elective Caesarean Section: A Study of Couples in Nairobi, Kenya

Study Background

Since 1985, the international healthcare community has considered the ideal rate for caesarean sections to be between 10 percent and 15 percent. Since then, caesarean sections have become increasingly common in both developed and developing countries. When medically justified, a caesarean section can effectively prevent maternal and prenatal mortality and morbidity. However, there is no evidence showing the benefits of caesarean delivery for women or infants who do not require the procedure. As with any surgery, caesarean sections are associated with short and long term risk which can extend many years beyond the current delivery and affect the health of the woman, her child, and future pregnancies. These risks are higher in women with limited access to comprehensive obstetric care (WHO, 2015).

In Kenya, elective C-section has emerged as an important issue in the field of health communication. The birth delivery method is quickly gaining popularity among urban women despite warnings from health experts that it should be used as the last resort. Changing demographics have spawned an interesting trend, where mothers of a lower socio-economic class give birth naturally while the middle and upper classes go for elective C-section, even in the absence of medical indication. This has been attributed to several factors such as advances in medical technology coupled with Kenya’s growing middle class who have access to health insurance thereby making it easy for them to afford to pay for the delivery, and fear of pain and anxiety synonymous with labour (Merab, 2017).