Cesarean Delivery in Uganda: A Mixed Methods Study (CRADLING)

July 7, 2026 updated by: Adeline A Boatin, Massachusetts General Hospital

Recent data indicate that 1 in 5 women worldwide undergo Caesarean sections (CS) and in most regions CS rates are increasing. Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest CS rate at 3.5%, compared to a global average of 19.1%. However, there is emerging evidence for a double burden in low-income countries, with low national CS rates masking both overuse and underuse. While national CS rates may remain stagnant, disaggregation by wealth, location, and education level reveal disparities in rate.

The purpose of this study is to understand the Caesarean delivery in Uganda by examining CS rates, factors associated with CS and maternal and neonatal outcomes across institutions using the Robson classification.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

Caesarean sections (CS) are an essential component of obstetric care and the most common surgical procedures performed in women. At the population level, the ideal CS rate is challenging to determine, however, in the past the World Health Organization has recommended a national population level rate of 10-15% and more recently updated its recommendation to state that no benefit is seen in maternal and neonatal mortality above this population level rate.

Recent data indicate that 1 in 5 women worldwide undergo CS and in most regions worldwide CS rates are increasing. However, stark disparities exist globally with national rates ranging from as low as 1.4% in Niger to as high as 56.4% in the Dominican Republic. At the regional level, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the lowest CS rate at 3.5% (compared to a global average of 19.1%) and over the last two decades demonstrated the least increases in this rate.

There is, however, emerging evidence for a double burden in low income countries, with low national CS rates masking both overuse and underuse. While national CS rates may remain stagnant, disaggregation by wealth, location, and education level reveal disparities in rate. In Uganda, for example, national CS rates remain low with a national rate of 6% in 2016, up from 3% in 2006, indicating that at the national level there is likely a lack of access to CS for many women in need of this procedure. However, disaggregation by wealth reveals rates of 3% in the in the poorest fifth of the population in compared to 15 % in the richest fifth; 5% in rural vs 11% in urban and 3-8% among less educated compared to 22% in more educated women. There is also striking variation in CS rates in hospitals of the same cadre. For example, Nsambya Hospital has a CS rate of 50.3% compared to Gulu regional referral hospital with a CS rate of 12.3%. Moreover, strikingly higher rates of CS are seen in some private institutions. In recent newspaper publications, some national newspaper reports, some private institutions are cited as having CS rates as high as 70%.

Benchmarking of CS rates between facilities and across time can help demonstrate where CS rates may not be optimal (either underuse or overuse) and provide the basis to motivate change. The Robson Classification has been recommended by both the WHO and the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) as a global standard for assessing, monitoring, and comparing c-section rates within heath care facilities, over time and between facilities. In this system, deliveries are categorized into 10 groups based on obstetric history, onset of labour, fetal presentation, number of neonates and gestational age. This system benefits from parameters that are prospective, mutually exclusive, and totally inclusive. There are a few studies using the Robson Classification to understand facility-based rates in SSA, however to date, none have been in Uganda.

In this study, the investigators goal is to examine CS rates using the Robson classification through a cross-Sectional Clinical Record Review of women delivering at regional referral hospitals (RRHs) and large private non-profit hospitals (PNFPs) in Uganda.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
11760

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Uganda
      • Fort Portal, Uganda
        • Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital
      • Gulu, Uganda
        • Gulu Regional Referral Hospital
      • Hoima, Uganda
        • Hoima Regional Referral Hospital
      • Jinja, Uganda
        • Jinja Regional Referral Hospital
      • Kabale, Uganda
        • Kabale Regional Referral Hospital
      • Kampala, Uganda
        • Nsambya Hospital (St. Francis Hospital Nsambya)
      • Lira, Uganda
        • Lira Regional Referral Hospital
      • Lira, Uganda
        • St Mary's Hospital
      • Masaka, Uganda
        • Masaka Regional Referral Hospital
      • Mbale, Uganda
        • Mbale Regional Referral Hospital
      • Mbarara, Uganda
        • Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital
    • Central Region
      • Kampala, Central Region, Uganda
        • Naguru General Hospital
      • Kampala, Central Region, Uganda
        • Uganda Martyrs' Hospital Lubaga
      • Kampala, Central Region, Uganda
        • Mengo Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

All women admitted to the labor wards of participating institutions

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Delivery at a regional referral hospital or private not for profit hospital participating in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • none

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cesarean section rate
Time Frame: 3 months
as above
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Severe Maternal Outcome
Time Frame: up to hospital discharge, an average of 3 days
Composite of measure that includes WHO near miss morbidity criteria and maternal mortality
up to hospital discharge, an average of 3 days
Adverse Perinatal Outcome
Time Frame: up to hospital discharge, an average of 3 days
Composite measure of adverse perinatal outcomes including stillbirth, neonatal death, neonatal admission
up to hospital discharge, an average of 3 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Massachusetts General Hospital

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Mbarara University of Science and Technology

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 31, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 27, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 18, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 19, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 7, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2020P002530

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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