Temporal and Spatial Trends in Childhood Asthma-Related Hospitalizations in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil and Their Association with Social Vulnerability

Cláudia Silva Dias, Maria Angélica Salles Dias, Amélia Augusta de Lima Friche, Maria Cristina de Mattos Almeida, Thaís Claudino Viana, Sueli Aparecida Mingoti and Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa
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Cláudia Silva Dias: Department Physiotherapy, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas), Belo Horizonte 30535610, Brazil
Maria Angélica Salles Dias: Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health (OSUBH), School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 30130100, Brazil
Amélia Augusta de Lima Friche: Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health (OSUBH), School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 30130100, Brazil
Maria Cristina de Mattos Almeida: Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health (OSUBH), School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 30130100, Brazil
Thaís Claudino Viana: Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health (OSUBH), School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 30130100, Brazil
Sueli Aparecida Mingoti: Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health (OSUBH), School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 30130100, Brazil
Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa: Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health (OSUBH), School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 30130100, Brazil

IJERPH, 2016, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: Introduction : Asthma is a multifactorial disease and a serious public health problem. Environmental factors and poverty are the main determinants of this disease. Objective : To describe the spatial and temporal distribution of asthma-related hospitalizations and identify the areas with the highest prevalence of and vulnerability to severe asthma in a major Brazilian city. Methods : An ecological study of hospitalizations for asthma from 2002 to 2012, in children and adolescents under 15 years of age, living in Belo Horizonte, Southeast Brazil. All events were geocoded by residence address using Hospital Information System data. The socioeconomic vulnerability of residence address was ranked using the Health Vulnerability Index. Raster surfaces were generated and time-series plots were constructed to determine spatial and time trends in the frequency of asthma-related hospitalizations, respectively. Results : Asthma-related hospitalization rates were highest in children aged 0–4 years and in boys. There was a decreasing trend in the number of asthma-related hospitalizations across the study period. Approximately 48% of all hospitalizations were children living in health vulnerable areas. Seasonal trends showed a hospitalization peak in March, April, and May, coinciding with the post-rainy period. Conclusion : Our findings suggest that social and environmental factors may be determinants of disparities in severe asthma.

Keywords: hospitalization for asthma; ecological study; vulnerability; children and adolescents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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