Poverty levels and children's health status: study of risk factors in an urban population of low socioeconomic level

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that the low socioeconomic population living is shanty towns in Porto Alegre presents different levels of poverty which are reflected on its health status, a cross-sectional study was designed involving 477 families living in Vila Grande Cruzeiro, Porto Alegre, Brazil. The poverty level of the families was measured by using an instrument specifically designed for poor urban populations. Children from families living in extreme poverty (poorest quartile) were found to have higher infant mortality rate, lower birth weights, more hospitalizations, and higher malnutrition rates, in addition to belonging to more numerous families. Thus, the shanty town population of Porto Alegre is not homogeneous, and priority should be given to the more vulnerable subgroups. Diagnosis

Factors influencing growth and intestinal parasitic infections in preschoolers attending philanthropic daycare centers in Salvador, Northeast Region of Brazil

“…Prevalence rates for stunting, underweight and wasting among disadvantaged preschoolers were very low (≤ 5%) when compared to earlier studies carried out in Brazil (~16%) 8,14 . Prevalence of mild-to-moderate under nutrition was also low (~15%), and is similar to rates for toddlers from daycare centers in São Paulo in the Southeastern Region of Brazil, where families have a higher socioeconomic status 15 .…”

“…Data on parental education and occupation, sanitation, household assets and other household characteristics were obtained. An overall socio-economic status score was determined for each participant based on a model designed to assess the poverty level of Brazilian families living in poor urban areas 8 . Points were assigned for family and house size and structure, parental education and occupation, marital status, house ownership and household assets, toilet and sewage facilities, type of drinking water, availability of electricity, and susceptibility to flooding during heavy rain.…”

Doenças respiratórias agudas: um estudo das desigualdades em saúde

“…Entende-se que a presente investigação poderá auxiliar a realização de outros estudos sobre morbidade dos diferentes grupos homogêneos, semelhantes à investigação realizada por Issler et al 33 , aprimorando-se os indicadores construídos neste processo, a fim de que o método descrito possa ser reproduzido em outros contextos subsidiando o planejamento local.…”

Análise espacial da mortalidade neonatal precoce no Município do Rio de Janeiro, 1995-1996

“…Através da análise espacial, variações na taxa de mortalidade infantil foram significativamente correlacionadas com as variações do nível sócio-econômico. Issler et al (1996), no Brasil, em estudo de população urbana de uma área específica da cidade Porto Alegre, teve o objetivo de testar a hipótese de que, em uma população de baixo nível sócio-econômico, diferentes níveis de pobreza podem acarretar distintas condições de saúde. Os autores mostraram que, entre as famílias de extrema pobreza, as crianças apresentaram maior taxa de mortalidade infantil e menor peso ao nascer, identificando assim subgrupos da população que necessitam de ações de saúde específicas.…”