Journal article
Scheduling the Stork: Media Portrayals of Women's and Physicians’ Reasons for Elective Cesarean Delivery
Birth (Berkeley, Calif.), v 42(2), pp 181-188
Jun 2015
PMID: 25881794
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Background
Media interest in cesarean delivery has grown in recent years driven both by rising cesarean delivery rates and the decision by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) to permit elective cesarean (EC) delivery.
Methods
A content analysis of United States newspaper and magazine articles from 2000 to 2013 (n = 131 articles) was completed to understand how the news media portrays ECs.
Results
The majority of articles (71.8%) emphasized reasons to support women having an EC, while 38.2 percent of the articles exhibited themes of physician support for ECs. Relatively few articles mentioned reasons against ECs either from the women's perspective (11.5%) or the practitioners’ (3.8%). The most common themes given for women choosing ECs were convenience/scheduling (48.9%), avoidance of pain or fear of labor (29.8%), and physical harm to women from vaginal birth (17.6%). Doctors’ perspectives were less prevalent in the media than women's perspectives, but when mentioned they were almost exclusively in support of ECs for reasons including avoiding malpractice (28.2%), avoiding physical harm to the woman or baby (16.8%), and timing/scheduling (14.5%).
Discussion
Media coverage suggests ECs are widely accepted by both women and doctors, with women choosing an EC mainly for convenience/scheduling and fear. However, 43 percent of doctors surveyed by ACOG said they were not willing to perform the procedure, and surveys report that mothers rarely request an EC.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Scheduling the Stork: Media Portrayals of Women's and Physicians’ Reasons for Elective Cesarean Delivery
- Creators
- Lisa Campo-Engelstein - Albany Medical CollegeLauren E. Howland - University at Albany, State University of New YorkWendy M. Parker - Albany College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesPaul Burcher - Albany Medical Center Hospital
- Publication Details
- Birth (Berkeley, Calif.), v 42(2), pp 181-188
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 8
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000354638400011
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84929503578
- Other Identifier
- 991021929443804721
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InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Nursing
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Pediatrics