C-section four times higher among women with college degrees: Study

The scientific paper says that while 35.8% women with college degrees had babies born through C section, this rate was only 8.9% in women with no formal education.

For representational purposes. (File Photo)

NEW DELHI:  A new analysis has suggested that the rate of C-section among women with college degrees is over four times higher, compared to women with no education, highlighting the stark socio-economic divide, rather than medical need, that governs the way babies are born in India.

Data from the National Family Health Survey-4 by researchers from Harvard University and institutes in Korea and India also shows the rate of C section was the lowest among Scheduled Tribe women and highest in the general category.

The scientific paper says that while 35.8% women with college degrees had babies born through C section, this rate was only 8.9% in women with no formal education.

Also, only 11.2% women belonging to Scheduled Tribes had C-section, when compared to general category women with a rate of 26.9%. 

The figures are based on the analysis of 136,985 births in 27,218 communities, 640 districts and 36 states, of which 19.3% were born through C-section.

While most births took place in public facilities (97,465), caesarean deliveries occurred more in private (39.3% ) than public facilities where the rate was 11.1%. 

The study of geographic variation in caesarean delivery prevalence showed that while Bihar had the least of the procedure at 10.7%, Telangana had the highest rate at 62.1% and also with a large difference between public (39.7%) and private facilities (74.8%). District-level rate of caesarean delivery also varied from as low as 0% to 93. 3% in a few districts in Telangana.

Late last year, alarmed at the rise of these surgeries in private hospitals in many states, the Centre had constituted an expert group to examine the state-wise findings.

The government in May, 2020 had set up a technical resource group to deliberate on various aspects of optimising C-section rates.

The findings and recommendations of either of these panels are yet to be shared with the states.  

The Word Health Organization recommends that the rate of C-sections should not be more than 10-15%.