Measuring skin color inequality in women's health in Northeast Brazil: Evidence from the PCSVDF survey.

In this paper, we investigate whether skin color is a source of inequality in women's health by exploring the longitudinal framework of the PCSVDF survey in Northeast Brazil. Specifically, we measure the skin color gradient in women's general and mental health, as well as in showing health risk behavior. We find that darker-skinned women show poorer mental health outcomes and a higher likelihood of drinking and smoking more frequently than their lighter-skinned counterparts.

Zika virus incidence, preventive and reproductive behaviors: Correlates from new survey data.

During the outbreak of the Zika virus, Brazilian health authorities recommended that pregnant women take meticulous precaution to avoid mosquito bites and that women in general use contraceptive methods to postpone/delay pregnancies. In this article, we present new estimates on the Zika virus incidence, its correlates and preventive behaviors in the Northeast of Brazil, where the outbreak initiated, using survey data collected between March 30 and June 3 of 2016. The target population were women aged 15-49 in the capital cities of the nine states of the Northeast region of Brazil.