Correction: Transition to universal primary health care coverage in Brazil: Analysis of uptake and expansion patterns of Brazil's Family Health Strategy (1998-2012).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201723.].

Brazil's Family Health Strategy: factors associated with programme uptake and coverage expansion over 15 years (1998-2012).

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Achieving UHC will require strong health systems to promote and deliver equitable and integrated healthcare services through primary healthcare (PHC). In Brazil, the Family Health Strategy (FHS) delivers PHC through the public health system. Created in 1994, the FHS covered almost 123 million individuals (63% of the Brazilian population) by 2015. The FHS has been associated with many health improvements, but gaps in coverage still remain. This article examines factors associated with the implementation and expansion of the FHS across 5419 Brazilian municipalities from 1998 to 2012. The proportion of the municipal population covered by the FHS over time was assessed using a longitudinal multilevel model for change that accounted for variables covering eight domains: economic development, healthcare supply, healthcare needs/access, availability of other sources of healthcare, political context, geographical isolation, regional characteristics and population size. Data were obtained from multiple publicly available sources. During the 15-year study period, national coverage of the FHS increased from 4.4% to 54%, with 58% of the municipalities having population coverage of 95% or more, and municipalities that had not adopted the programme decreased from 86.4% to 4.9%. The increase in FHS uptake and coverage was not homogenous across municipalities, and was positively associated with small population size, low population density, low coverage of private health insurance, low level of economic development, alignment of the political party of the Mayor and the state Governor, and availability of healthcare supply. Efforts to expand the FHS coverage will need to focus on increasing the availability of health personnel, devising financial incentives for municipalities to uptake/expand the FHS and devising new policies that encompass both private and public sectors.

Transition to universal primary health care coverage in Brazil: analysis of uptake and expansion patterns of Brazil’s Family Health Strategy (1998-2012)

Family Health Strategy, the primary health care program in Brazil, has been scaled up throughout the country, but its expansion has been heterogeneous across municipalities. We investigate if there are unique municipal characteristics that can explain the timing of uptake and the pattern of expansion of the Family Health Strategy from years 1998 to 2012. We categorized municipalities in six groups based on the relative speed of the Family Health Strategy uptake and the pattern of Family Health Strategy coverage expansion. We assembled data for 11 indicators for years 2000 and 2010, for 5,507 municipalities, and assessed differences in indicators across the six groups, which we mapped to examine spatial heterogeneities. Important factors differentiating early and late adopters of the Family Health Strategy were supply of doctors and population density. Sustained coverage expansion was related mainly to population size, marginal benefits of the program and doctors’ supply. The uptake was widespread nationwide with no distinct patterns among regions, but highly heterogeneous at the state and municipal level. The Brazilian experience of expanding primary health care offers three lessons in relation to factors influencing diffusion of primary health care. First, the funding mechanism is critical for program implementation, and must be accompanied by ways to support the supply of primary care physicians in low density areas. Second, in more developed and bigger areas the main challenge is lack of incentives to pursue universal coverage, especially due to the availability of private insurance. Third, population size is a crucial element to guarantee coverage sustainability over time.

Family health strategy and equity in prenatal care: a population based cross-sectional study in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal care coverage is still not universal or adequately provided in many low and middle income countries. One of the main barriers regards the presence of socioeconomic inequalities in prenatal care utilization. In Brazil, prenatal care is supplied for the entire population at the community level as part of the Family Health Strategy (FHS), which is the main source of primary care provided by the public health system. Brazil has some of the greatest income inequalities in the world, and little research has been conducted to investigate prenatal care utilization of FHS across socioeconomic groups. This paper addresses this gap investigating the socioeconomic and regional differences in the utilization of prenatal care supplied by the FHS in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS: Data comes from a probabilistic household survey carried out in 2012 representative of the population living in urban areas in the state of Minas Gerais. The sample size comprises 1,420 women aged between 13 and 45 years old who had completed a pregnancy with a live born in the last five years prior to the survey. The outcome variables are received prenatal care, number of antenatal visits, late prenatal care, antenatal tests, tetanus immunization and low birthweight. A descriptive analysis and logistic models were estimated for the outcome variables. RESULTS: The coverage of prenatal care is almost universal in catchment urban areas of FHT of Minas Gerais state including both antenatal visits and diagnostic procedures. Due to this high level of coverage, socioeconomic inequalities were not observed. FHS supplied care for around 80% of the women without private insurance and 90% for women belonging to lower socioeconomic classes. Women belonging to lower socioeconomic classes were at least five times more likely to receive antenatal visits and any of the antenatal tests by the FHS compared to those belonging to the highest classes. Moreover, FHS was effective in reducing low birthweight. Women who had prenatal care through FHS were 40% less likely to have a child with low birthweight. CONCLUSION: This paper presents strong evidence that FHS promotes equity in antenatal care in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

[Equity in coverage by the Family Health Strategy in Minas Gerais State, Brazil]. / A equidade na cobertura da Estratégia Saúde da Família em Minas Gerais, Brasil.

The Family Health Strategy (FHS) plays an important role in prevention and in monitoring families in the Brazilian Unified National Health System. This study aims to analyze equity in the coverage of these services in the urban areas of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The research is unprecedented and analyzes several markers for four target groups: women, pregnant women, children, and the elderly. The study is representative of the various health macro-regions. In 2012, 6,797 households were surveyed, with 5,820 women, 1,758 children, and 3,629 elderly. To analyze equity, FHS coverage rates were calculated according to family income, and concentration indices and curves were estimated. The results show that the FHS is an equitable policy. The indicators show that poorer households have higher visitation rates under the FHS. Coverage of the eligible population is quite high: 88% of households received at least one visit from FHS professionals in the previous 12 months, resulting in a concentration index near zero.

A equidade na cobertura da Estratégia Saúde da Família em Minas Gerais, Brasil / Equity in coverage by the Family Health Strategy in Minas Gerais State, Brazil / La equidad en la cobertura de la Estrategia de Salud Familiar en Minas Gerais, Brasil

A Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) tem papel relevante na prevenção e no acompanhamento das famílias no Sistema Único de Saúde. O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar a equidade na cobertura desses serviços ofertados na área urbana de Minas Gerais, Brasil. A pesquisa analisa diversos marcadores considerando quatro grupos-alvo: mulheres, gestantes, crianças e idosos, sendo representativa por macrorregião de saúde. Foram investigados em 2012, 6.797 domicílios, sendo entrevistados 5.820 mulheres, 1.758 crianças e 3.629 idosos. Para analisar a equidade, foram construídas taxas de cobertura da ESF por classe de riqueza e estimados índices e curvas de concentração. Os resultados revelam que a ESF é uma política equitativa. Os indicadores mostram que os domicílios mais pobres apresentam maiores taxas de visitação da ESF. Considerando a população residente nas áreas adscritas às equipes de saúde, o nível de cobertura é bastante elevado: 88% da população investigada receberam pelo menos uma visita dos profissionais da ESF nos últimos 12 meses, o que resulta em índices de concentração perto de zero.

The Family Health Strategy (FHS) plays an important role in prevention and in monitoring families in the Brazilian Unified National Health System. This study aims to analyze equity in the coverage of these services in the urban areas of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The research is unprecedented and analyzes several markers for four target groups: women, pregnant women, children, and the elderly. The study is representative of the various health macro-regions. In 2012, 6,797 households were surveyed, with 5,820 women, 1,758 children, and 3,629 elderly. To analyze equity, FHS coverage rates were calculated according to family income, and concentration indices and curves were estimated. The results show that the FHS is an equitable policy. The indicators show that poorer households have higher visitation rates under the FHS. Coverage of the eligible population is quite high: 88% of households received at least one visit from FHS professionals in the previous 12 months, resulting in a concentration index near zero.

La Estrategia de Salud Familiar (ESF) tiene un papel importante en la prevención y el seguimiento de las familias en el Sistema Único de Salud. Este estudio analiza la equidad en la cobertura de estos servicios ofertados en el área urbana de Minas Gerais, Brasil. La investigación es inédita y analiza marcadores para cuatro grupos objetivo: mujeres, mujeres embarazadas, niños y ancianos. La muestra es representativa por macrorregiones de salud. En 2012, fueron investigados 6.797 domicilios y fueron entrevistados 5.820 mujeres, 1.758 niños y 3.629 adultos mayores. Para el análisis de la equidad, se construyeron las tasas de cobertura por clase de riqueza y se estimaran los índices y curvas de concentración. Los resultados revelan que el ESF es una política equitativa. Los indicadores muestran que los hogares más pobres tienen mayores tasas de visitas de ESF. Teniendo en cuenta la población elegible, la cobertura es muy alta: el 88% de la población recibió al menos una visita de profesionales de la ESF en los últimos 12 meses, lo que resulta en índices de concentración cerca de cero.