Tuberculosis risks and socio-economic level: a case study of a city in the Brazilian south-east, 1998-2004

Abstract

Objectives: To explore tuberculosis (TB) risks in relation to potential determinants in the city of São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo State, Brazil; to analyse morbidity and mortality indicators in São José do Rio Preto, and to determine the relationship between the risk of TB and socio-economic level (SEL) using a geo-referenced information system (GIS) and the national census for 2000.

Method: Standardised incidence rates and TB incidence and mortality rates were calculated. Socio-economic variables were determined using the statistical technique of principal component analysis. Data sources were the São Paulo State Data Analysis System (SEADE), the TB Notification Database (EPI-TB), the Information Department of the Brazilian Health Ministry (DATASUS), and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). New cases reported in 1998-1999 and 2003-2004 in the urban area of the city were geo-referenced and analysed.

Results: TB risk in the city is twice as high in areas of lower SEL than in areas with higher SEL.

Conclusion: The identification of areas with different levels of risk enables the Municipal Health Department to propose innovative interventions to minimise the risk of disease at both individual and population level.