Knowledge, Perception and Acceptance of Caesarian Section among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in Selected Hospitals, Gusau, Zamfara State

Abstract

Knowledge, Perception and Acceptance of Caesarian Section have been identified to be a major factor contributing to the rising maternal  morbidity and mortality. This study aims to assess the knowledge, perception and Acceptance of the Ceasarian Section among Pregnant  Women attending Ante Natal Care (ANC) in selected Hospitals, ie General Hospital and Yerima Bakura Specialist Hospital Gusau, Zamfara  State. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted where structured questionnaires was administered to 200 participants who were  purposively recruited to participate in the study. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and decision rule at cut-off points of  1.5 and 2.5 as a rating scale. Results were reported with frequencies, mean scores and percentages. Findings from the study showed that  68.2% had a moderate level of knowledge of C/S, 54.5% had a negative perception of C/S and 69% had a positive acceptance of CS.  However, 63.2% of the participants agreed that C/S acceptance could be improved if lessons on C/S are included in antenatal teachings in order to ensure that every woman is knowledgeable enough to accept C/S, complication associated with it are minimized, eradicate  myths and beliefs concerning C/S and also provide support for relatives. In conclusion, the respondents had moderate knowledge and  negative perception while the majority accepted cesarean section among pregnant women attending an ante-natal clinic in General  Hospital Gusau", Zamfara State. It was recommended that health education should be upheld in order to sustain a high level of   knowledge, acceptance and perception about cesarean section.