Quality of basic health care and social vulnerability: a spatial analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Spatial Epidemiology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Social vulnerability significantly impacts health outcomes and access to care.
• Understanding the spatial distribution of health care quality is crucial for targeted interventions.
• The Brazilian Northeast faces unique challenges in health care delivery and social equity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the association between the quality of basic health care and social vulnerability.
• To investigate the spatial relationship between these factors in Brazilian Northeast municipalities.

Main Methods:

• Ecological study utilizing spatial analysis with univariate global and local Moran's indexes.
• Bivariate analyses examined the relationship between basic health care quality and the Social Vulnerability Index.
• Dependent variable: final scores from the Brazilian Program for the Improvement of Access and Quality of Basic Health Care (PMASS). Independent variable: Social Vulnerability Index.

Main Results:

• Identified areas of low social vulnerability with high basic health care quality in Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, and Bahia.
• Maranhão showed significant challenges, with numerous municipalities exhibiting high vulnerability and low basic health care performance.

Conclusions:

• A clear spatial relationship exists between social vulnerability indicators and basic health care quality in the Northeast.
• Limitations in accessing health resources and services are likely linked to underlying social and health determinants.