Care provided to adults with obesity, systemic arterial hypertension, and diabetes mellitus in primary health care in Brazil

Abstract

Non-communicable chronic diseases have high prevalence rates, increasing demands for healthcare services within the Unified Health System. Primary Health Care stands as a strategic level for organizing the care and management of users within these services. The study aimed to assess the care provided to individuals with obesity, systemic arterial hypertension, and diabetes mellitus in Brazilian Primary Health Care during 2019. It is a cross-sectional study based on data extracted from the Health Information System to evaluate the proportion of visits, interventions offered, and professional categories involved in the care for adults with obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Visits for hypertension and diabetes were close to their prevalences. Those for obesity matched its prevalence. The most frequently recorded intervention was scheduled follow-up care, and physicians were the most prevalent healthcare professionals across all three conditions. The care provided for the three evaluated conditions was similar in some aspects. However, regarding obesity, there were fewer visits compared to the other conditions, and there were differences in the most involved professional categories in these visits.