Introduction: Women are responsible for taking a decision of choosing between vaginal and cesarean delivery method. There are various factors that play important roles in this selection. In this study, the Health Belief Model (HBM) is adopted to provide a clear theoretical basis for understanding the factors influencing women’s delivery decisions.

Methods: A cross-section study was carried out in Ismailia district, Egypt among women aged 19 to 49 years, attending the primary health care units for infant vaccination and who had birth within the previous three months. 360infants were selected randomly from those registered for vaccination in the district primary health care centers.

Results: Out of 360 recruited women, 36 (37.8%) preferred to have a cesarean section delivery (CD) and 224 (62.2%) preferred to deliver their babies by vaginal delivery. The results show that the two groups of women were concerned about being pregnant at an advanced age, were worried about the health of newborn, abdominal scar, labor pain, anal/urinary incontinence, and perineum tearing, and perceived that CD needs to have medical insurance coverage.

Conclusion: The data indicated that the constructs of the Health Belief Model: perceived susceptibility, benefits, perceived severity, and cues to action affect the decision that women make on their mode of delivery.