Can Caesarean section improve child and maternal health? The case of breech babies

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This paper examines the health effects of Caesarean section (CS) for children and their mothers. We use exogenous variation in the probability of CS in a fuzzy regression discontinuity design. Using administrative Danish data, we exploit an information shock for obstetricians that sharply altered CS rates for breech babies. We find that CS decreases the child's probability of having a low APGAR score and the number of family doctor visits in the first year of life. We find no significant effects for severe neonatal morbidity or hospitalizations. While mothers are hospitalized longer after birth, we find no effects of CS for maternal post-birth complications or infections. Although the change in mode of delivery for the marginal breech babies increases direct costs, the health benefits show that CS is the safest option for these children.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Health Economics
Volume39
Pages (from-to)289-302
Number of pages14
ISSN0167-6296
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2015
Externally publishedYes

    Research areas

  • Caesarean section, Child health, Maternal health, Procedure use, Regression discontinuity design

ID: 216248293