A comparison of the rates of and indications for cesarean delivery between Syrian refugee women and Turkish women

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the rates of and indications for cesarean delivery among Syrian refugee women and local Turkish women. METHODS: The study included 74,864 pregnant women, of whom 52,145 were Turkish and 22,719 were Syrian refugee women and who gave birth at our hospital between January 2013 and December 2021. In this study, the pregnant women were divided into two groups: Syrian refugee women and Turkish women, and primary cesarean delivery rates were calculated separately for each group. Cesarean delivery rates for Syrian refugee women and Turkish women were compared separately for each year. Indications for cesarean delivery were determined separately for each group and compared between the groups. RESULTS: The overall cesarean delivery rate was 56% among Turkish women and 32% among Syrian women (p<0.05). The primary cesarean delivery rate was 18.4% for local Turkish women versus 10.7% among Syrian refugee women (p<0.05). The most common indication for cesarean delivery among both Syrian refugee women and local Turkish women was previous cesarean delivery, followed by acute fetal distress and cephalopelvic disproportion. CONCLUSION: Indications for cesarean delivery were similar for Syrian refugee women and local Turkish women, but both overall and primary cesarean delivery rates were higher among local Turkish women compared with Syrian refugee women.