Cadernos de saúde pública
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Feb 2011
[Breast cancer and cervical cancer mortality trends in a medium-sized city in Southern Brazil, 1980-2006].
The aim of this study was to analyze mortality trends from breast cancer and uterine cervical cancer in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The mortality time series from the Mortality Information System of the Brazilian Ministry of Health was used. Age-related specific mortality rates were calculated and standardized against the world population. ⋯ Breast cancer was the main cause of cancer-related death for women in Juiz de Fora. Trend analysis using the polynomial regression model showed a decrease in mortality due to uterine cervical cancer (p = 0.001) and an increase in mortality due to breast cancer (p = 0.035) over the course of the time series. The trends in mortality due to breast cancer and cervical cancer in Juiz de Fora suggest an ongoing epidemiological transition, with significant mortality due to breast cancer and persistently high cervical cancer rates.
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Jan 2011
Neonatal and pediatric intensive care in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil: an analysis of bed distribution, 1997 and 2007.
The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of neonatal and pediatric intensive care units (ICU) and beds in Rio de Janeiro, correlating with population demands in 1997 and 2007. All neonatal and pediatric ICUs were visited, identifying the availability and type of beds. Comparisons were made between: supply and demand using projected need for beds for the population; public and private ICUs; and geographical regions. ⋯ Most units were located in the metropolitan area. The distribution of public and private beds was similar in the metropolitan area in both periods; in the interior, public beds tripled. Access has improved, mainly in the interior, but there is still no equity in the distribution of and accessibility to the available beds, with a shortage in the public sector, an excess in the private sector, and a great concentration in the metropolitan area.
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Jan 2011
[The illegal market for gender-related drugs as portrayed in the Brazilian news media: the case of misoprostol and women].
This article analyzes how the Brazilian news media covers the illegal market for misoprostol, the main drug used to induce abortion. A total of 1,429 news stories were retrieved from 220 print and electronic media channels from 2004 to 2009. The analysis included 524 stories from 62 regional and national newspapers. ⋯ The women's ages ranged from 13 to 46 years, and socioeconomic status was associated with different experiences with abortion. Three characters appeared in the women's abortion itineraries: girlfriends (confidantes), go-betweens, and physicians. Stories of late-stage abortion are confused with the criminal characterization of infanticide and provide the extreme cases in the media's narrative on abortion.
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Cadernos de saúde pública · Aug 2010
Review[International trade in health services and the medical industrial complex: implications for national health systems].
Health services have increasingly proven to be an innovative sector, gaining prominence in the medical industrial complex through expansion to public and international markets. International trade can foster economic development and redirect the resources and infrastructure available for healthcare in different countries in favorable or unfavorable directions. Wherever private providers play a significant role in government-funded healthcare, GATS commitments may restrict health policy options in subscribing countries. Systematic information on the impacts of electronic health services, medical tourism, health workers' migration, and foreign direct investment is needed on a case-by-case basis to build evidence for informed decision-making, so as to maximize opportunities and minimize risks of GATS commitments.