Researchers note 'significant increase' in cesarean births

PASADENA — More women are having cesarean births, especially black women, according to a Kaiser Permanente study released recently.

The study showed a significant increase in cesareans among all groups over the past 10 years, but African-American women had significantly higher rates than whites, while the increase among Latino women was smaller.

The 10-year surge in cesareans led researchers to conclude that something other than known risk factors such as fetal distress or smoking during pregnancy caused the increase. Researchers did not speculate on why the increase was most pronounced among...