Características das crianças menores de cinco anos atendidas em serviços de atenção básica em dois municípios do nordeste Brasileiro

Abstract

Objectives: to describe the prevalence of health service consultations with a doctor or a nurse among children under five years of age in the municipalities of Caracol and Anísio de Abreu, Piauí and to identify associated factors. Methods: a population-based cross-sectional study was carried out with children aged between 0 and 59 months. Data was collected using questionnaires between July and September 2008. Poisson’s Regression and the hierarchized model were used for multivariate analysis. Results: among the 1640 children included in the study, the prevalence of health service consultations in Caracol was 44.2% (CI95% 40.1-47.4) and 48.5% (CI95% 44.8-52.1) in Anísio de Abreu. After adjustment for any confounding factors, consultation was found to be associated with higher household income and shorter distance from the health service in Caracol. In Anísio de Abreu, the outcome was associated with water supply and the child’s age. Conclusions: the analysis found differences in health care related to socioeconomic conditions between the municipalities, indicating inequities in the health service.