Social indicators, deaths and hospitalizations due to tuberculosis: an ecological study

Abstract

Problem: Considered as a disease linked with income inequity, the presence of tuberculosis (TB) in a certain community reflects the precariousness of local policies aimed at assisting social development. Aim: To analyze the connection between the spatial distribution of deaths and hospitalization due to TB and social indicators. Method: This is partially an ecological and an analytical study performed in the municipality of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. The data will be acquired from three different databanks: the Brazilian Death Information System; the Hospitalization System from the Brazilian Unified Health System; and the 2010 Brazilian Census, which will provide information regarding social indicators through the analysis of the main components. To analyze the spatial distribution, scan statistics will be used, together with multiple linear regression, the method of least-squares, and spatial regression to evaluate the spatial dependency through the use of Global Moran’s I Test.