Behind bars: the burden of being a woman in Brazilian prisons.

BACKGROUND: Brazil has the third largest prison population in the world. In 2016, the female prison population totaled 42,000, an increase of 656% over the population recorded in the early 2000s. The objective of this study was to describe the socialeconomic and reproductive health of women in Brazilian prisons, and the specific assistance received within the prison system. METHODS: This is a first of its kind national survey conducted in 15 female prisons in eight Brazilian states between 2014 and 2015. The sample consisted of 1327 women in closed or semi-open prison regimes. Data collection used Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI). STATA v.15. Was use in analysis. The study was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Ceará, under CEP protocol No. 1,024,053. RESULTS: The population was overwhelmingly Black or Brown, poor and little educated. When women worked previously, they had worked as domestic servants and were the sole source of income for their families. Most were mothers, with 39% having children less than 10 years old, now in the care of others. Most were in jail for drug-related crimes. Prisons were crowded, with more than 2/3rds of the inmates sharing a cell with 6 or more inmates. Services were provide, but women had not had a cervical cancer screening within the past 3 years and breast cancer screening was not conducted. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, given their backround and prison conditions they are unlikely to change the circumstances that brought them to prison in the first place.

Transmissão vertical do HIV: reflexões para a promoção da saúde e cuidado de enfermagem / Vertical transmission of HIV: reflections about health promotion and nursing care

Resumo Objetivo: Refletir sobre a transmissão vertical do HIV na conjuntura da promoção da saúde e do cuidado de enfermagem. Síntese do conteúdo: Trata-se de um documento de reflexão, embasado em uma busca na literatura científica e em publicações do Ministério da Saúde do Brasil sobre o tema, com os descritores: Transmissão Vertical de Doença Infecciosa, HIV, Promoção da Saúde e Educação em Saúde. No âmbito da concepção de promoção da saúde como prevenção de doenças, diversas são as intervenções de enfermagem envolvidas no processo de prevenção da transmissão vertical do HIV, abrangendo desde cuidados que antecedem a gravidez da mulher soropositiva, passando pelo pré-natal, parto, puerpério e cuidados com a criança exposta ao HIV. Verificou-se a importância das ações educativas como um dos principais elementos para a promoção da saúde no contexto da transmissão vertical do HIV, por contribuírem para o estabelecimento de uma relação dialógica entre enfermeiros e mulheres soropositivas, levando ao seu empoderamento. Conclusão: Este documento contribui para que o enfermeiro reflita acerca da sua práxis e busque realizar seu cuidado com vistas à promoção da saúde desse público de forma diferenciada, individualizada, ética e efetiva, no intuito de abordar seus reais problemas de saúde e garantir um cuidado holístico, humanizado e resolutivo para essa clientela, que tem características específicas.

Resumen Objetivo: Reflexionar sobre la transmisión vertical del VIH en el contexto de la promoción de la salud y del cuidado de enfermería. Síntesis del contenido: Documento de reflexión basado en una búsqueda bibliográfica de artículos y publicaciones sobre el tema del Ministério da Saúde do Brasil. Los descriptores utilizados en las búsquedas fueron Transmisión Vertical de Enfermedad Infecciosa, VIH, Promoción de la salud y Educación en salud. En el contexto en que se concibe la promoción de la salud como prevención de enfermedades, las intervenciones de enfermería que participan en el proceso de prevención de la transmisión vertical del VIH son numerosas, las cuales comprenden tanto la atención previa al embarazo de la mujer VIH positiva como la atención prenatal, al parto y postparto del niño expuesto al VIH. Se constató la importancia que revisten las acciones educativas al considerarse factor clave para la promoción de la salud en el contexto de la transmisión vertical del VIH. Cabe resaltar la contribución de las acciones educativas al establecer una relación dialógica entre las enfermeras y las mujeres VIH positivas, cuyo objetivo es el empoderamiento de éstas. Conclusión: El presente documento contribuye a que los enfermeros reflexionen sobre la práctica y realicen un cuidado dedicado a promover la salud en esta población de manera individual, ética y eficaz. El propósito de este tipo de cuidado es abarcar los verdaderos problemas de salud que presentan las mujeres VIH positivas y asegurarles una atención integral, humanizada y decisiva de acuerdo con sus características específicas.

Abstract Objective: To reflect about vertical transmission of HIV in the context of health promotion and nursing care. Summary of content: This is a reflection paper based on a literature search of articles and publications for the subject of Ministério da Saúde do Brasil. The following descriptors were used: Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical, HIV, Health Promotion and Health Education. Within the context in which health promotion is conceived as disease prevention, there are several nursing interventions involved in the prevention of vertical transmission of HIV process, encompassing both pre-pregnancy caring for the HIV-positive woman and prenatal, delivery, and postpartum caring for the HIV-exposed child. It was found that educational actions are of vital importance to promotion of health in the context of the vertical transmission of HIV, in as much as they contribute to establish a dialogical relation between nurses and HIV-positive women, which aims to empower them. Conclusion: This paper contributes to nurses to reflect about their practice and to carry out care functions in order to promote health of this public in individual, ethical, and effective manner. This sort of care must cover actual health issues of HIV-positive woman, ensuring them integral, humanized, and determining care, in accordance with their own specific conditions.