[Access to medicines prescribed for acute health conditions in adults in South and Northeast Brazil].

This was a cross-sectional study within Brazil's Project for the Expansion and Consolidation of Family Health, 2005, with the objective of universal and free access to the medication prescribed in the last medical appointment for acute health problems and to estimate the degree to which access may have improved with inclusion of the medicines in prevailing policies and programs. The sample included 4,060 adults living in the area of primary health care units in 41 municipalities in South and Northeast Brazil. Access was greater in the South (83.

[Patterns in the use of outpatient care in Brazil by patients treated through the Brazilian Unified National Health System, private health insurance, and out-of-pocket medical care].

Indicators of supply, access, and use of healthcare are helpful for characterizing services, planning activities, and organizing demand. This study describes patterns of use of outpatient care and the associations with demographic and socioeconomic factors, morbidity, population size of the municipality and region, and administrative and financial classification of the provider. This was a population-based cross-sectional study with a sample of 12,402 Brazilian adults from 20 to 59 years of age living in urban areas of 100 municipalities from five regions.

Lack of access and continuity of adult health care: a national population-based survey.

OBJECTIVE To describe the lack of access and continuity of health care in adults. METHODS A cross-sectional population-based study was performed on a sample of 12,402 adults aged 20 to 59 years in urban areas of 100 municipalities of 23 states in the five Brazilian geopolitical regions. Barriers to the access and continuity of health care and were investigated based on receiving, needing and seeking health care (hospitalization and accident/emergency care in the last 12 months; care provided by a doctor, by other health professional or home care in the last three months).

[Use of health services in Brazil: association with overweight and body fat indicators].

The aim of the study was to analyze the association between use of health services and obesity in Brazilian adults. We carried out a population-based cross-sectional study in 100 districts of five Brazilian regions. The outcomes were: home care, use of medical services in the primary health care, use of medical services outside of the primary health care, use of emergency services and hospitalization.

Prevalence of overweight and associated factors in under-five-year-old children in urban population in Brazil.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of overweight in children under five years old from urban households and to investigate associated factors.

Methods: Cross-sectional population-based study carried out in the five regions of Brazil with a sample of 6,397 children. The World Health Organization 2006 Growth Curves were used and children were considered overweight when Z-score was higher than two standard deviations of weight for height.

Advice for salt, sugar and fat intake habits among adults: a national-based study.

Introduction: A healthy diet is recognized as an important strategy for promoting health as an essential part of non-pharmacological therapy of various health problems.

Objective: To analyze the reported advice for the intake of salt, sugar and fat for the Brazilian adults living in urban areas.

Methodology: National-based cross-sectional study with 12,402 adults interviewed in 100 Brazilian cities.

[Physical activity during commuting by adults and elderly in Brazil: prevalence and associated factors].

Evidence in the literature shows that physical activity associated with commuting (routine coming and going) can have a positive impact on health. The current study describes physical activity during commuting and some associated factors. A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted with 12,402 adults and 6,624 elderly in 100 municipalities (counties) from 23 States of Brazil.

[Pap test coverage and adequacy in the South and Northeast of Brazil].

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women both in Brazil and elsewhere in the world and can be averted through early detection of precursor lesions. Pap smear is still the most effective and efficient screening test. This study focused on the coverage and adequacy of Pap test and associated factors.

Promotion, prevention and arterial hypertension care in Brazil.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of promotion, prevention and arterial hypertension care actions in adults and to identify their association with decompensated hypertension.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted by interviewing 12,324 adults aged from 20 to 59 years, in 100 Brazilian cities. The independent variables considered as promotion, prevention and hypertension care were as follows: to have received guidance on ideal weight maintenance and physical activity practice; to have consulted a doctor; and to have had an electrocardiogram performed in the previous year.

[Prevalence of minor psychiatric disorders among primary healthcare workers in the South and Northeast regions of Brazil].

Mental health problems are among the most prevalent conditions in health workers. We evaluated the prevalence of minor psychiatric disorders and associated factors among primary healthcare workers. The study design was cross-sectional and services-based, in 240 primary healthcare units in 41 municipalities (counties) with more than 100 thousand inhabitants in seven States in the South and Northeast regions of Brazil.

[Characteristics of primary healthcare service use in the southern and northeastern regions of Brazil: differences by care model].

In view of the emphasis on primary care for the health system and the consolidation of Family Healthcare Strategy, it is important that information on attended demand be updated to assist in administration of the Unified Health System (UHS). The study compared the profile of attended demand in basic healthcare units (BHU) of two care models (traditional and family health) in 240 BHU of seven states of the South and the Northeast. Collected on a prepared form, all patients attended in a single day were processed with the PACOTAPS application.

Prevalence of falls in elderly in Brazil: a countrywide analysis.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of a sample of 6,616 elderly living in urban areas of 100 municipalities in 23 Brazilian states, who responded to questions on the occurrence of falls in the 12 months prior to the interview, and occurrence of fractures due to the falls. The prevalence of falls among the elderly was 27.6% (95%CI: 26.

Leisure-time physical activity among adult and elderly individuals in Brazil: a countrywide analysis.

Background: No data on leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) are available in Brazil for a representative sample of the whole country. The current study describes LTPA levels of the Brazilian adult and elderly populations and explores its association with sex, age, and schooling.

Methods: A countrywide household-based cross-sectional study was carried out, including separate samples of adult and elderly individuals from 23 states in Brazil selected through a multistage approach.

[Health workers' community practices in primary health care models in South and Northeast Brazil].

In order to verify the prevalence of health workers' participation in health practices in the community, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 3,743 primary care health workers in 41 municipalities with more than 100 thousand inhabitants each in South and Northeast Brazil. Overall prevalence of participation in the community was 62.7%, and was significantly higher in the Northeast and in the Family Health Program (FHP).

[Management of work, education, information, and communication in primary healthcare in cities in Southern and Northeastern Brazil].

Decentralization in Brazil's Unified National Health System is challenging the management capability at the local level. Municipalities are required to operate health teams, provide infrastructure, technology, and supplies for the health services, and organize the work process. An epidemiological survey assessed the management of work, education, information, and communication in primary care services in 41 municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants each in the Northeast and South of the country.

Free access to hypertension and diabetes medicines among the elderly: a reality yet to be constructed.

The study evaluated free access to hypertension and diabetes medicines and the reasons reported for lack of access. The sample included 4,003 elderly people living in Primary Care Unit coverage areas from 41 Southern and Northeastern Brazilian cities. Free access was higher in the Northeast (62.

[The effectiveness of psychosocial care centers for the mentally ill in a medium-sized city in southern Brazil: a stratified analysis].

The objective was to analyze the effectiveness of Psychosocial Care Centers (PCCs) for persons with mental disorders in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. This was a prospective cohort study with users of the centers, based on two home visits. Three treatment exposure variables and two health status variables were compared and stratified according to treatment modality and time attending the health service.

[Physical inactivity among adults and elderly living in areas covered by primary healthcare units with and without the Family Health Program in Pernambuco State, Brazil].

The epidemiological transition in Brazil has been explained partially by the low levels of physical activity. However, few studies have explored physical inactivity in low-income population groups. Within this context, primary healthcare units gain strategic importance.

Factors considered important for health maintenance by the population.

Objective: To analyze factors that adults and elderly individuals regard as the most important for health maintenance.

Methods: A cross-sectional study performed with 4,060 adults and 4,003 elderly individuals in areas covered by 240 primary health units in the Brazilian Southern and Northeastern regions, in 2005. A card with pictures and sentences about seven factors associated with the risk of non-communicable diseases and health problems was shown to individuals so they should point out the most relevant factor for health.

[Physical activity among health professionals from south and northeast Brazil].

This cross-sectional study analyzed 240 primary healthcare units, linked either to the traditional primary care model or the Family Health Program (FHP), involving a total of 3,347 health professionals who answered the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Prevalence of sedentary lifestyle (< 150 minutes of physical activity per week) was 27.5% (95%CI: 25.

Use of primary care services by elderly people with chronic conditions, Brazil.

Objective: To assess the use of healthcare services by elderly individuals suffering from chronic diseases.

Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out with 2,889 individuals aged 65 years or more with chronic conditions - arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus and mental illness -, living in catchment areas of primary care units in 41 cities of the South and Northeast regions of Brazil in 2005. The analyzed data were obtained in the baseline study of Programa de Expansão e Consolidação da Saúde da Família (Program for the Expansion and Consolidation of Family Health).

[Counseling for physical activity as a health education strategy].

This study analyzes the prevalence of health counseling related to physical activity among users of primary health care, and explores the associated variables. This cross-sectional study included a random sample of 4,060 adults and 4,003 older adults living in areas covered by primary health care in 41 cities from seven States of South and Northeast Brazil. Prevalence of counseling for physical activity was 28.

[Architectonic barriers for elderly and physically disabled people: an epidemiological study of the physical structure of health service units in seven Brazilian states].

This cross-sectional study, carried out in 41 Brazilian cities, describes the conditions of the basic health units (UBS) in relation to architectural barriers. A sample of 240 UBS with different modalities of basic attention was selected at random. The professionals working in the UBS answered a standardized questionnaire about architectonic barriers in their units.

[Use of outpatient services by the elderly in the South and Northeast of Brazil].

This study evaluated the use of outpatient services by senior citizens (N = 4,003) drawing on data from the baseline study that evaluated the Project for Expansion and Consolidation of the Family Health Strategy (PROESF) in 41 cities in South and Northeast Brazil. Use of outpatient services was greater and more appropriate to the needs of the elderly in the South than in the Northeast. Primary care facilities in both regions met the demand by lower-income elderly, but those requiring more care were treated at other levels.

[Epidemiological and socio-demographic profile of primary care workers in the South and Northeast of Brazil].

In order to describe the profile of primary health care teams in 41 municipalities with more than 100 thousand inhabitants each, a total of 4,749 health workers in two States from the South (1,730) and five from the Northeast (3,019) of Brazil were included from a sample of traditional primary care units and the Family Health Program (FHP). After providing informed consent, the health workers answered a self-applied questionnaire with demographic, work-related, and their own health-related data. The principal differences between the two models involved the structuring of the teams, with the FHP including more community health agents, more women, more young workers, fewer hired on the basis of formal admissions exams, more with a single job, more precarious employment arrangements, less employment satisfaction, less time on the job, larger workloads, greater specialization in the area, and better pay.