A reprodução social da hanseníase: um estudo do perfil de doentes com hanseníase no Município de São Paulo

Abstract

This study discusses the relationship between work and living conditions among leprosy patients enrolled in the São Paulo municipal public health system in 1996. Social patterns were studied based on the theory of social determination of the health-disease process. The main purpose of the study was to emphasize evidence of the disease determination network, seeking new knowledge to improve public policies on leprosy. Data were gathered from a sample of leprosy patients registered in the city's public health system. Although patients' families are characterized by a common social thread, different work/life possibilities allow for a classification of patients into three social groups. The majority belong to groups that are marginalized from social production, living in areas where social exclusion is more extreme, on the outskirts of the city. If the trends in this study persist, incident leprosy cases will result from the social exclusion of migrants from Brazil's Southeast and Northeast. The study also discusses the position of young people and female patients in the determination network of this infectious disease in the city of São Paulo.

Socioeconomic and demographic profile of leprosy carriers attended in nursing consultations

“…The study of social reproduction of leprosy in the city of São Paulo identified that most affected people were in intermediate and inferior bracket, working in informal, underpaid and unskilled jobs, corroborating the data observed here (5) .…”

“…of those surveyed had family income higher than 1.8 minimum salary, a percentage that was higher than that observed here, once 32% of patients presented this family income (5) .…”

“…In the literature, several studies from the 20th century have associated the socioeconomic factor as a predisposing cause of leprosy (5) .…”

“…A study published in 1996, aiming at knowing the ways of social reproduction (ways of working and living) that form leprosy families, observed that most of them were in outcast groups located in regions were social exclusion is higher (5) .…”

Análise da distribuição espacial da hanseníase no Estado de São Paulo, 1991-2002

“…A hanseníase é fortemente relacionada às condições socioeconômicas 23 , ao crescimento acelerado da população dessas áreas, ao deslocamento de contingente populacional de áreas rurais para as cidades, que pode não ter sido acompanhado de melhoria da estrutura urbana com conseqüente declínio nas condições de vida dessas populações.…”