Area deprivation measures used in Brazil

Abstract

OBJECTIVETo describe and assess currently used area-based measures of deprivation in Brazil for health research, to the purpose of informing the development of a future small area deprivation index.METHODSWe searched five electronic databases and seven websites of Brazilian research institutions and governmental agencies. Inclusion criteria were: studies proposing measures of deprivation for small areas (i.e., finer geography than country-level) in Brazil, published in English, Portuguese or Spanish. After data-extraction, results were tabulated according to the area level the deprivation measure was created for and to the dimensions of deprivation or poverty included in the measures. A narrative synthesis approach was used to summarize the measures available, highlighting their utility for public health research.RESULTSA total of 7,199 records were retrieved, 126 full-text articles were assessed after inclusion criteria and a final list of 30 articles was selected. No small-area deprivation measures that have been applied to the whole of Brazil were found. Existing measures were mainly used to study infectious and parasitic diseases. Few studies used the measures to assess inequalities in mortality and no studies used the deprivation measure to evaluate the impact of social programs.CONCLUSIONSNo up-to-date small area-based deprivation measure in Brazil covers the whole country. There is a need to develop such an index for Brazil to measure and monitor inequalities in health and mortality, particularly to assess progress in Brazil against the Sustainable Development Goal targets for different health outcomes, showing progress by socioeconomic groups.

Spatial analysis of inequalities in fetal and infant mortality due to avoidable causes

“…Socioeconomic status is considered one of the most consistent health determinants of a population, hence the importance of identifying the population segments that still live in poverty. This identification also enables the monitoring of health inequalities, the understanding of their causes and favors the evaluation of the impact of social programs on reducing inequalities (39) .…”

“…Social deprivation should be taken into account in order to decrease infant mortality inequalities (39,42) . Yun et al (41) suggested establishing a regional perinatal assistance and medical emergency system in underprivileged regions, along with surveillance and monitoring of pregnant women and newborns in these regions.…”

Willingness of Infertile Couples to Pay for In Vitro Fertilization Treatment in the Integrated Human Reproduction Section of the Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo Federal University

“…Brazil is still considered poor, with substantial internal disparities, even with the improvement of the Human Development Index. 28,29 The 80 couples evaluated here were classified as belonging to social class C, with monthly income between 4 and 10 minimum wages (R$3748.01-R$9370.00 [$961.00-$2402.00]), and demonstrated a WTP value of R$18 720.18 using the direct question and R$22 831.17 for the payment scale techniques. It then becomes clear how couples attribute a strong psycho-emotional component to the decision to undergo IVF treatment and are most likely to give up other leisure, comfort, and heritage achievements in the realization of this marital life project to have a child.…”

Characteristics of composite deprivation indices used in public health: a scoping review protocol

“…The proposed scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews [18]. We have not registered this review with PROSPERO, because a scoping review is not registered with PROSPERO.…”

“…• To create a list and taxonomy of deprivation indices A preliminary search of PubMed found a recently published scoping review from 2018 by Ichihara et al on area deprivation measures used in Brazil. [18] Ichihara et al included 30 articles. The main goals of this scoping review were to inform the development of a small-area deprivation index for Brazil and review the literature to describe currently used area-based measures of socioeconomic inequalities in Brazil.…”