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Accounting for the Rise in C-sections: Evidence from Population Level Data

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Listed:
  • Sara Allin
  • Michael Baker
  • Maripier Isabelle
  • Mark Stabile

Abstract

Drawing on administrative records of nearly 4 million births in Canada as well as macro data from the US and Australia, we provide a comprehensive account of rising C-section rates. We explicitly consider the contributions of the changing characteristics of mothers, births, and physicians as well as changing financial incentives for C-section deliveries. These factors account for at most one-half of the increase in C-section rates. The majority of the remaining increase in C-sections over the period 1994-2011 occurred in the early 2000s. We overview the relative contributions that the Hannah Breech Trial and technological change may have played in this development.

Suggested Citation

  • Sara Allin & Michael Baker & Maripier Isabelle & Mark Stabile, 2015. "Accounting for the Rise in C-sections: Evidence from Population Level Data," NBER Working Papers 21022, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:21022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. de Elejalde, Ramiro & Giolito, Eugenio, 2019. "More Hospital Choices, More C-Sections: Evidence from Chile," IZA Discussion Papers 12297, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Berta, P.; & Martini, G.; & Piacenza, M.; & Turati, G.;, 2019. "The strange case of appropriate C-sections:DRG-tariff regulation, hospital ownership, and market concentration," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 19/02, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    3. de Elejalde, Ramiro & Giolito, Eugenio, 2021. "A demand-smoothing incentive for cesarean deliveries," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    4. Aleksandr Proshin & Alexandre Cazenave-Lacroutz & Zeynep Or & Lise Rochaix, 2018. "Impact of Diagnosis Related Group Refinement on the Choice Between Scheduled Caesarean Section and Normal Delivery: Recent Evidence from France," Working Papers halshs-01812107, HAL.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets

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