Back to: Introduction to Evidence Synthesis

Here’s another example of a systematic review in action: a study examining the link between maternal obesity and cesarean sections.

There’s a fair amount of scientific evidence indicating that pregnant women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting a cesarean section. But there’s inconsistent data on the actual magnitude of this risk. Researchers who work at CESH conducted a meta-analysis with researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta to determine how much more likely it was for overweight or obese women to give birth by cesarean section compared to women who were not overweight.

Question: We know pregnant women who are obese or overweight have a higher likelihood of cesarean section delivery, but what’s our best estimate of the magnitude of that likelihood? How does that likelihood increase among women who are overweight, obese, and severely obese?