Factors Affecting Opinion of Women Regarding the Use of Epidural Anesthesia During Labor in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia

Objectives Epidural anesthesia (EA) is one of the most popular and efficient techniques for labor pain relief. Women’s preferences and awareness about EA have been investigated worldwide through various studies. The level of awareness varies from region to region in Saudi Arabia. Consequently, the aim of this study is to understand the views of women regarding EA in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia and how this affects decision-making with regard to EA. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia from July-September, 2021, through a self-administered online questionnaire. The study included Saudi females aged 18 years and older living in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0 (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 499 participants were included in the study. Nearly half of them were between the age of 25-35 years (46.9%, n = 234). The mean of the awareness score was 3.66 with SD = 1.491. It was observed that age was related to awareness. Women older than 45 years of age were found to be less aware. Additionally, the number of children these women had further affected their awareness; those who had four children or more tended to be less aware. The effect of regular antenatal care visits was clear, as pregnant women who maintained regular antenatal care visits showed more awareness. As for income, there was a notable increase in awareness with an increase in income. Participants who had had a previous delivery with EA were found to be more aware. Likewise, educational status also impacted their awareness. Women with a high school certificate or below were found to be less aware. Lastly, it was observed that a majority of the participants chose not to request an EA upon their next delivery (60.5%, n = 302). Conclusion The results demonstrated that awareness of EA in the study area is acceptable. The most important predictors for awareness about EA were age, educational status, income, number of children, regular antenatal visits, and previous delivery with EA. It was concluded that women who were aware were more likely to take EA.