Impact of a cultural belief about ghost month on delivery mode in Taiwan

Background: Many Chinese believe the lunar month of July, "ghost month" is inauspicious for major surgical procedures. This study hypothesised that caesaren delivery (CS) rates will be significantly lower during lunar July, and higher than normal during June, representing pre-emptive caesaren delivery to avoid delivering in July. Methods: Population based data from Taiwan on all singleton deliveries during 1997-2003 (1 750 862 cases) were subjected to multivariate autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modelling, adjusting for major obstetric complications (previous CS, breech presentation, dystocia, and fetal distress). Results: ARIMA intervention models showed significantly lower CS rates in lunar July, and among younger age groups (p