Health service use in a population covered by the Estratégia de Saúde da Família (Family Health Strategy).

Objective: To analyze health service use patterns in communities covered by the Estratégia de Saúde da Família (Family Health Strategy).

Methods: Population-based cross-sectional study with a sample of 2,988 individuals, of all ages, living in areas covered by the Estratégia de Saúde da Família, in the city of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, between July and September 2003. Pre-coded questionnaires about demographic, socioeconomic and health information were applied to all residents of selected households.