Socio-economic and ethnic group inequities in antenatal care quality in the public and private sector in Brazil

Abstract

Special efforts must be made to improve quality of care in the public sector. Poor and black women should be actively encouraged to start antenatal care early in pregnancy so that they can fully benefit from it. There is a need for regular monitoring of antenatal attendances and quality of care with an equity lens, in order to assess how different social groups are benefiting from progress in health care.

Trends in sociodemographic and health-related indicators in Bangladesh, 1993–2007: will inequities persist?

“…Other studies have also reported huge socioeconomic and health-related disparities in developing countries. [17][18][19]28 Of 49 factors considered, 16 show increasing inequity, whereas 22 show a decrease in the rich-poor gap. Inequity has remained almost unchanged over the years in 11 areas.…”

“…13,14 Consequently, significant inequity between the rich and poor remains in access to health-care services and their utilization. 7,[14][15][16][17][18] Although Bangladesh is likely to achieve several Abstracts in ‫,عريب‬ 中文, Français, Pусский and Español at the end of each article.…”

“…Health inequities are ubiquitous; 7,15,17 they exist in both developed and developing societies. 17,18 Most development advocates, planners and practitioners view them as unacceptable, unfair 7,11,19 and rooted in broader social injustice. 15,20 Such inequities pose critical challenges across countries and cultures 15 and are becoming an important social concern.…”

Occurrence of severe dengue in Rio de Janeiro: an ecological study

“…This fi nding may be related to the historical socioeconomic vulnerability of this group, which in turn refl ects the morbidity and mortality patterns of many health problems, including dengue and its severe forms 22,23 . These social inequalities may lead to several disadvantages, ranging from a lack of health promotion to a reduced capability to successfully treat severe and potentially fatal cases, resulting from limited access to early diagnosis and timely clinical management 23,24 .…”

“…The national health system in Brazil is guided by the underlying principle of universal and egalitarian access to health care among socially disparate individuals; however, health inequities persist due to differences in living conditions and the availability and accessibility of health services 22,25 . Several authors have argued that income constitutes an enabling resource, whose availability positively influences health service access, i.e., the ability to use health services when necessary 23,25,26 .…”