No Brasil, a transição epidemiológica não tem ocorrido de acordo com o modelo experimentado pela maioria dos países desenvolvidos. Velhos e novos problemas em saúde coexistem, com predominância das doenças crônico-degenerativas, embora as doenças transmissíveis ainda desempenhem um papel importante. Neste estudo, os diferenciais, em relação ao padrão epidemiológico, são descritos para o Brasil e grandes regiões, para o indicador de saúde dos estudos da carga de doença, o DALY. Entre os principais resultados encontrados, para o Brasil, destaca-se que o grupo das doenças não-transmissíveis, infecciosas/parasitárias/maternas/perinatais/nutricionais, e das causas externas representaram, respectivamente, 66,3%, 23,5% e 10,2% da carga total de doença estimada. A utilização do indicador DALY propicia a identificação de prioridades em função do perfil epidemiológico, facilitando a tomada de decisões e destinação adequada de recursos por parte dos gestores.

ABSTRACT:Objective: To estimate the prevalence of self-reported diabetes mellitus (DM) and its associated factors among the Brazilian adult population. Methods: The prevalence of DM was assessed in the Survey on Social Dimensions of Inequalities, a national survey with macro-regions representativeness carried out in 2008. Data were collected by a personal face-to-face interview with 12,423 individuals of both sexes, aged over 20 years. The χ 2 test at 5.0% was performed in order to identify associated factors, and logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios. Results: The prevalence of DM in Brazil was 7.5%. After adjusting for potential confounders, diabetes remained associated with age (≥ 40 years), education (< 8 years of study), marital status (non-married), obesity, sedentary lifestyle, comorbidity with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, as well as the demand for health services. Conclusion: Results indicate a high prevalence of DM and its associated preventable factors in Brazil. Thus, they highlight the need for a behavioral change as a strategy for prevention and control of diabetes and its complications.

Self-rated health is an important indicator used to measure health perception. This study aimed to investigate the association between self-rated health and social and demographic factors, health behavior, and morbidity. This was a cross-sectional study based on data from a national health survey. The sample consisted of 12,324 individuals from Brazil's five major geographic regions. Regression analyses were conducted to verify the association between the outcome and the following independent variables: gender, age, income, education, race, marital status, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, chronic illnesses, and body mass index. Increasing age, low education and income, smoking, sedentary habits, chronic illness, and obesity were the factors most strongly associated with worse self-rated health. The identification of population attributes associated with worse self-rated health can help trace a profile of individuals more prone to seeking health services.

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Mental health problems are common in primary health care, particularly anxiety and depression. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of common mental disorders and their associations with socio-demographic characteristics in primary care in Brazil (Family Health Strategy). It involved a multicenter cross-sectional study with patients from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Fortaleza (Ceará State) and Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul State), assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD). The rate of mental disorders in patients from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Fortaleza and Porto Alegre were found to be, respectively, 51.9%, 53.3%, 64.3% and 57.7% with significant differences between Porto Alegre and Fortaleza compared to Rio de Janeiro after adjusting for confounders. Prevalence proportions of mental problems were especially common for females, the unemployed, those with less education and those with lower incomes. In the context of the Brazilian government's moves towards developing primary health care and reorganizing mental health policies it is relevant to consider common mental disorders as a priority alongside other chronic health conditions.

This study compares socio-demographic factors, mothers' biological characteristics, and quality of care at maternity hospitals in the City of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A sample of 10,072 post-partum women in 47 hospitals was selected. Data were collected by interviewing mothers in the immediate post-partum and from medical records. The chi2 test was used to analyze homogeneity of ratios. Significant differences were found between patients in public and private hospitals in relation to family support, healthy habits during pregnancy, reproductive history, access to and satisfaction with prenatal care and delivery, and particularly adverse effects in the newborns. Private maternity hospitals showed better results, although they displayed excessive cesarean and neonatal inter-hospital transfer rates. The stratum consisting of public Federal and State maternity hospitals received women with greater morbidity, had lower neonatal transfer rates, and received a more positive assessment by clients of the Unified National Health System (SUS). Private maternity centers contracted out by the SUS were the ones that most refused treatment to patients, leading to delays in patient care for delivery.

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Type 2 diabetes mellitus currently ranks high among indicators used in