Caesarean section rates and obstetric practices in Sierra Leone before, during, and after the Ebola epidemic: Results from a nationwide household study
15 affiliations
- 1Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- 2CapaCare NGO, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Netherlands, Trondheim, Norway
- 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Olavs Hospital HF, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
- 4Center of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, AMC, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity, Amsterdam Public Health – Global Health, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 5Masanga Medical Research Unit, Masanga, Sierra Leone
- 6Department of Surgery, St. Olavs Hospital HF, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
- 7Institute for Health and Society and Epidemiology Division, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- 8Centre for Health Research and Training, University of Management and Technology, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- 9School of Community College of Health Sciences, Njala University, Bo Campus, Bo, Sierra Leone
- 10School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 11Alaska Native Medical Centre, Anchorage, AK, USA
- 12Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium – Southcentral Foundation (ANTHC/SCF), Anchorage, AK, USA
- 13Centre de Recherches Médicales en Lambaréné (CERMEL), Lambaréné, Gabon
- 14Institute of Molecular Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- 15Institut für Tropenmedizin und Deutsches Zentrum für Infektiologie (DZIF), Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Abstract
Background: Through health system reforms Sierra Leone has achieved reductions from 1,603 to 354 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births between 2000 and 2023, but progress has been uneven and severely disrupted by the 2013–2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak. National surveys track key maternal health indicators but provide limited insight into assisted vaginal delivery and women’s access to emergency obstetric care, including caesarean section, during and after health system shocks.
Objectives: To describe patterns of caesarean section and assisted vaginal delivery, place and mode of transport for childbirth before, during, and after the EVD outbreak from a community perspective, and assess changes compared with earlier nationwide household study data.
Design: Cross-sectional household survey.
Methods: A district and urban-rural weighted random cluster design selected enumerator areas with probability proportional to population size. Women aged 12–50 years provided obstetric histories. Data were compared with the 2012 household survey using the same methodology and interpreted in the context of national health system initiatives and the EVD outbreak timeline. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests examined differences across time periods.
Results: Among 914 women with 2,094 pregnancies, caesarean section rates rose from 1.6% pre-to 3.7% post-EVD, while assisted vaginal delivery dropped to zero during the outbreak and re-emerged at 2.9%. Facility births increased from 57.6% pre-to 73.8% post-EVD, with home deliveries declining to 16.3%. Almost half of women delivering post-EVD reached facilities on foot, and ambulance use remained minimal. No substantial improvement was observed in girls’ education and literacy over the decade.
Conclusion: Obstetric service use in Sierra Leone continued to improve after the EVD outbreak, but transport barriers and low assisted vaginal delivery and caesarean section rates persist. Strengthening girls’ education, referral systems, emergency obstetric capacity and skills retention remain essential for resilient, equitable maternal care.
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BibTeX
@article{westendorp2026caesarean,
title = {{Caesarean section rates and obstetric practices in Sierra Leone before, during, and after the Ebola epidemic: Results from a nationwide household study}},
author = {Josien Westendorp and Hanna M. Mathéron and Alex J. van Duinen and Momoh L. Mansaray and Lora Daskalska and Osman Sankoh and Risa Hoffmann-Lonnée and Reinou S. Groen and Martin P. Grobusch and Håkon A. Bolkan},
journal = {Women's Health},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1177/17455057261487141},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057261487141},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Caesarean section rates and obstetric practices in Sierra Leone before, during, and after the Ebola epidemic: Results from a nationwide household study
AU - Josien Westendorp
AU - Hanna M. Mathéron
AU - Alex J. van Duinen
AU - Momoh L. Mansaray
AU - Lora Daskalska
AU - Osman Sankoh
AU - Risa Hoffmann-Lonnée
AU - Reinou S. Groen
AU - Martin P. Grobusch
AU - Håkon A. Bolkan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
JO - Women's Health
DO - 10.1177/17455057261487141
UR - https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057261487141
AB - Background: Through health system reforms Sierra Leone has achieved reductions from 1,603 to 354 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births between 2000 and 2023, but progress has been uneven and severely disrupted by the 2013–2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak. National surveys track key maternal health indicators but provide limited insight into assisted vaginal delivery and women’s access to emergency obstetric care, including caesarean section, during and after health system shocks. Objectives: To describe patterns of caesarean section and assisted vaginal delivery, place and mode of transport for childbirth before, during, and after the EVD outbreak from a community perspective, and assess changes compared with earlier nationwide household study data. Design: Cross-sectional household survey. Methods: A district and urban-rural weighted random cluster design selected enumerator areas with probability proportional to population size. Women aged 12–50 years provided obstetric histories. Data were compared with the 2012 household survey using the same methodology and interpreted in the context of national health system initiatives and the EVD outbreak timeline. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests examined differences across time periods. Results: Among 914 women with 2,094 pregnancies, caesarean section rates rose from 1.6% pre-to 3.7% post-EVD, while assisted vaginal delivery dropped to zero during the outbreak and re-emerged at 2.9%. Facility births increased from 57.6% pre-to 73.8% post-EVD, with home deliveries declining to 16.3%. Almost half of women delivering post-EVD reached facilities on foot, and ambulance use remained minimal. No substantial improvement was observed in girls’ education and literacy over the decade. Conclusion: Obstetric service use in Sierra Leone continued to improve after the EVD outbreak, but transport barriers and low assisted vaginal delivery and caesarean section rates persist. Strengthening girls’ education, referral systems, emergency obstetric capacity and skills retention remain essential for resilient, equitable maternal care.
SN - 1745-5057
SN - 1745-5065
ER -