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Interest in alternative birth settings in Finland
K Viisainen1, M Gissler, O Räikkönen
1STAKES, (National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health), Health Services Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland.
Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica
|September 18, 1998
Summary
Many Finnish women and men prefer alternative birth options, but most births occur in hospitals. There
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Sociology of Health
- Maternal Care Research
Background:
- Investigating preferences for birth care settings in Finland.
- Examining the gap between desired and actual childbirth locations.
- Utilizing national survey and registry data for comprehensive analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the extent of wishes for alternative birth care versus conventional hospital births.
- To compare expressed preferences with realized birth choices in Finland.
- To understand gender differences in birth care preferences.
Main Methods:
- Population-based national survey of 3000 women and 400 men.
- Cross-sectional analysis of 390,943 childbirths from the National Medical Birth Registry (1990-1995).
- Comparison of survey data on preferences with registry data on actual birth locations.
Main Results:
- A significant majority preferred conventional hospital births (69% women, 66% men).
- Interest in alternative birth settings (home birth, early discharge) was higher than actual utilization.
- Conventional hospital births accounted for 99% of all births in the registry data.
Conclusions:
- A notable discrepancy exists between expressed birth care preferences and realized choices.
- While most prefer hospital births, a substantial minority desire alternatives, indicating a demand for more birth choices.
- Findings highlight the need to address the gap between women's desires for birth settings and available options.