Health and Health Care of Mothers and Children in a Suburban Area of Luanda, Angola

Population health data available in Angola are often insufficient to guide the planning of health interventions. To address this gap, the goal of the present study was to investigate the health of mothers and infants in a suburban municipality in Luanda (Cacuaco), in order to provide a baseline for future comparisons. This was a prevalence study investigating infants younger than 2 years of age and their mothers. Mothers were interviewed, and children’s height and weight were measured. Of 749 mothers interviewed, 98.5 % (95 % CI 98.2–99.1 %) had at least one prenatal visit and 51.7 % (95 % CI 47.4–56.3 %) had a health card. Most mothers with a health card had their first prenatal visit before the 20th week of pregnancy, and had at least four prenatal visits; 81.1 % (95 % CI 78.3–84.1 %) of mothers also had their child’s health card. Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months was 19 % (95 % CI 16.2–23.1 %). Prevalence of low height-for-age and low BMI-for-age were 32 and 6 %, respectively. Mothers with higher education levels were more likely to have had their first prenatal visit earlier, to have had more prenatal visits, to have given birth at a health facility, and to have her own and her child’s health cards. Results showed a high prevalence of prenatal care and a low frequency of acute malnutrition. Maternal education level, among factors studied, was the predominant correlate of more positive health behaviors. These findings suggest important progress of mother and child health in Cacuaco, and may serve as a baseline for the planning of health interventions

Is It Possible to Sample the Whole Country?

publishersversionpublishe

Evaluation of the primary care attributes in Rio de Janeiro

Telemedicin

Impact of teleconsultations on the conduct of oral health teams in the Telehealth Brazil Networks Programme

Telehealth has been applied in the Unified Health System (SUS) as a tool for qualifying professionals and improving the healthcare provided to the population served by the system. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of teleconsultations on the qualifications of the clinical approach of the oral health teams involved in primary health care (PHC) in the state of Rio Grande do Sul under the Telehealth Brazil Networks Programme. The sample population of the study was composed of 285 dentists and 132 oral health assistants belonging to the Family Health Teams. A chi-square test was used to investigate possible associations between the absolute number of teleconsultations performed and several independent variables, namely, gender, age, dental specialty, time since graduation, time working in the Family Health Strategy (FHS), employment status, type of training institution, familiarity with information technology, and work satisfaction at the health facility. The level of significance was p < 0.05. Use of the oral health teleconsultation service led to a reduction of more than 45% in the number of referrals to other levels of care. However, no significant association was found between the number of teleconsultations and the independent variables analysed. The use of teleconsultations proved to be a powerful tool for professional training, for increasing the effectiveness of PHC, and for improving the oral healthcare provided

Following the legacy of professors Barbara Starfield and Leiyu Shi in Brazil as health policy : the National Health Survey (PNS), led by the Brazilian National Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT)

We present to the scientific community the pioneering of Brazilian National Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, the Brazilian Census Bureau) in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the largest fieldwork ever conducted in a single country in the world, using the PCAT in a national household sample survey, visiting more than 100,000 households and 40% of the country’s municipalities. In Brazil, PCAT is being consolidated as an instrument to support public policy for the evaluation of primary health care. We believe that it represents a virtuous example of dialogue between scientific community and health management, following the legacy of Professors Barbara Starfield and Leiyu Shi

Evaluating the performance of primary health care services in Turkey and the use of the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT) : lessons from Brazil in a national random household survey

Resumo não disponíve

Measuring the quality of primary care in national health surveys : lessons from Brazil

Background: South Africa started to lead the cross-culturally validation and use of the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT) in Africa, when Professor Bresick filled a gap, as this continent was until then the only one that had never used it in evaluation of primary health care facilities until 2015. Aim: The authors aim to demonstrate that after the consolidation of Bresick’s team to an African version of PCAT, it had been adapted to household survey in Brazil. Methods: In this letter, authors reflect on how Brazil had adapted PCAT to a national random household survey with Brazilian National Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) – the Brazilian Census Bureau. Results: In the the beginning of 2019, Brazilian Ministry of Health brought back the PCAT as the official national primary health care assessment tool. Brazilian National Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) included a new module (set of questions) in its National Health Survey (PNS-2019) and collected more than 100 000 households interviews in about 40% of the country’s municipalities. This module had 25 questions of the Brazilian validated version of the adult reduced PCAT. Conclusion: We believe that IBGE innovation with the Ministry of Health can encourage South Africa to establish a similar partnership with its National Institute of Statistics (Statistics South Africa) for the country to establish a baseline for future planning of primary health care, for decision-making based on scientific evidence

Practice of exclusive breastfeeding and its associated factors in a suburban area in Angola : a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Exclusive breastfeeding for six months is one of the measures with highest impact on prevention of child deaths. The determinants of breastfeeding practices are complex and differ between populations. This study aimed to identify factors associated with the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in a suburban area in Angola. DESIGN AND SETTING: Population-based cross-sectional study in the municipality of Cacuaco, Luanda. METHODS: A random sample of children under two years of age and their mothers was included. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated using Poisson regression based on a hierarchical model. RESULTS: 749 children and their mothers were surveyed, including 274 children under six months. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among children under six months was 51.5% (95% confidence interval, CI, 46.3-56.6%). Four variables were positively associated with exclusive breastfeeding at ages of under six months: number of prenatal visits (PR 1.11 for each visit after the first one; 95% CI 1.04-1.18), maternal occupation (other occupations versus self-employed) (PR 1.54; 95% CI 1.05-2.26), younger child age (PR 0.77 for each month; 95% CI 0.71-0.84) and female child (PR 1.34; 95% CI 1.02-1.76). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at six months was satisfactory, according to international recommendations. Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding practices that had never been surveyed before in Angola were identified through this study. These data are particularly relevant in the context of high infant mortality and may be useful in planning actions aimed at improving child health through promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, in Angola and other countries