• Kathrin Stoll, Nichole Fairbrother, Elaine Carty, Nané Jordan, Carole Miceli, Yarra Vostrcil, and Laura Willihnganz.
• Division of Midwifery, Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, B54-2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
• Birth. 2009 Jun 1; 36 (2): 133-40.

BackgroundAt 30 percent, British Columbia has the highest cesarean section rate in Canada. Little is known about the childbirth views and birthing preferences of college-aged women and men. The objectives of this study were to document (a) the prevalence of cesarean versus vaginal delivery as the preferred mode of delivery among nonpregnant university students without a history of childbirth, (b) the reasons for reported childbirth preferences, and (c) confidence in vaginal birth as a predictor of childbirth preference.MethodsA cohort of 3,680 male and female university students without a history of childbirth participated in an online survey of childbirth preferences. The study used a mixed methods approach (quantitative thematic analysis and logistic regression modeling). Prevalence of, and reasons for, preferred mode of delivery were analyzed separately for male and female respondents.ResultsMost men and women responded that they preferred vaginal delivery, with 9 percent stating a preference for cesarean delivery. Reasons for preferred mode of delivery were similar for men and women. For women, confidence in vaginal birth emerged as a significant predictor of childbirth preference.ConclusionsResults indicate that a preference for cesarean section is linked to fear of childbirth and driven by low confidence in vaginal birth. Educational strategies targeting university-aged men and women may be helpful in alleviating fears of vaginal birth and providing evidence-based information about different birth options.

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