Recent Trends in Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Brazil: Progress Toward Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5

Abstract

We analyzed Brazil's efforts in reducing child mortality, improving maternal and child health, and reducing socioeconomic and regional inequalities from 1990 through 2007. We compiled and reanalyzed data from several sources, including vital statistics and population-based surveys. We also explored the roles of broad socioeconomic and demographic changes and the introduction of health sector and other reform measures in explaining the improvements observed. Our findings provide compelling evidence that proactive measures to reduce health disparities accompanied by socioeconomic progress can result in measurable improvements in the health of children and mothers in a relatively short interval. Our analysis of Brazil's successes and remaining challenges to reach and surpass Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 can provide important lessons for other low- and middle-income countries.

Adequação das informações de mortalidade e correção dos óbitos informados a partir da Pesquisa de Busca Ativa

“…For these municipalities, the IMR (1) , estimated using the corrected number of deaths, was very low compared to the state IMR. The IMR (2) is the infant mortality rate based on the state IMR among municipalities with sufficient correction, according to the level of adequacy of the municipality.…”

“…Research in re- (1) Using number of infant deaths after applying correction factors. (2) Using number of infant deaths estimated from UF's IMR among municipalities with sufficient correction factors according to mortality data adequacy.…”

“…Particularly among vulnerable groups such as women and children, MDGs are seen as fundamental measures of human development 2 .…”

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

“…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 . Such improvements have been attributed to the expansion of healthcare and pro-poor social programs, together with increases in purchasing power and levels of maternal education among poor families 16,17 . Nevertheless, ~13% of the disadvantaged preschoolers that made up our sample were at risk of overweight or classified as overweight, emphasizing the importance of including nutrition education as a component of pro-poor social policies.…”

Mortalidade infantil: tendência temporal e contribuição da vigilância do óbito

“…Therefore, the World Health Organization considers the reduction of infant mortality by twothirds to be one of the eight millennium developmental goals to be achieved by 2015. (5) There were significant advances in Brazil, with the infant mortality rate (IMR) decreasing from 26.1 per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 14.0 per 1,000 live births in 2011, with a total reduction of 41.5% within this period. (6,7) Nonetheless, problems remain to be overcome, such as regional, state, and municipal differences because of social inequalities that exclude significant population contingents from access to basic goods and services, (3) with more death risks in populations in the North and Northeast regions.…”