Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Nov 17;15(1):153.
doi: 10.1186/s12939-016-0427-4.

Social inequalities in the prevalence of self-reported chronic non-communicable diseases in Brazil: national health survey 2013

Deborah Carvalho Malta  1 , Regina Tomie Ivata Bernal  2 , Maria de Fatima Marinho de Souza  3 , Celia Landman Szwarcwald  4 , Margareth Guimarães Lima  5 , Marilisa Berti de Azevedo Barros  5
Affiliations

Social inequalities in the prevalence of self-reported chronic non-communicable diseases in Brazil: national health survey 2013

Deborah Carvalho Malta et al. Int J Equity Health. .

Abstract

Background: Considering the high socioeconomic inequalities in Brazil related to occurrence of morbidity and premature mortality, the objective of this study was to analyze inequalities in self-reported prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) and in the physical limitations caused by these diseases, among the Brazilian adult population, according to sociodemographic variables.

Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional study that analyzed information on 60,202 individuals who formed a representative sample of Brazilian adults interviewed for the National Health Survey 2013. Disparities by schooling levels and possession of private health insurance were assessed by calculating the prevalence (P) and prevalence ratio (PR) of each of the 13 NCDs and any associated limitations, while controlling for other socioeconomic and demographic variables.

Results: 45 % of the Brazilian adult population reported having at least one NCD. The prevalence ratio was greater among women (1.24 CI 1.21-1.28), individuals over 55 years of age, individuals with low schooling levels (illiterate and incomplete elementary education) (1.08 CI 1.02-1.14) and people living in the Southeast (1.10 CI 1.04-1.16), South (1.26 CI 1.19-1.34) and Central-West (1.11 CI 1.05-1.18) regions of the country. Diseases such as diabetes (1.42 CI 1.13-1.47), hypertension (1.17 CI 1.06-1.28), stroke (2.52 CI 1.74-3.66), arthritis (1.4 CI 1.11-1.77), spinal problems (1.39 CI .1.25-1.56), and chronic renal failure (1.65 CI 1.10.2.46), were more prevalent among adults with low education. For most NCDs, greater reports of limitations were associated with lower schooling levels and lack of private health insurance.

Conclusion: Populations with lower schooling levels and lack of private health insurance present higher prevalence of various NCD and greater degrees of limitation due to these diseases. Results reveal the extent of social inequalities that persist with regard to occurrence and the impact of NCDs in Brazil.

Keywords: Chronic disease; Functional limitations; Health insurance; Inequalities; Low schooling level.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. World Health Organization. Global status report 2014. Health statistics and information systems. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/estimates/en/index1....
    1. World Health Organization . Global status report on noncommunicable diseases 2010 [Internet] Geneva: World Health Organization; WHO; 2011. p. 176.
    1. Abegunde DO, Mathers CD, Adam T, Ortegon M, Strong K. The burden and costs of chronic diseases in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet. 2007;370:1.929–38. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61696-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020 [Internet] 10. Geneva: World Health Organization (WHO); 2013. - PMC - PubMed
    1. OMS. Commission on Social Determinants of Health . CSDH Final Report: Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity Through Action on the Social Determinants of Health. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2008. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms