Association between high-risk pregnancy and environmental contaminants in the Metropolitan Region of Baixada Santista, Brazil.

The Metropolitan Region of Baixada Santista (MRBS) is a highly contaminated area. High-risk pregnancy is one factor that leads to a higher chance of both morbidity and mortality of the mother-fetus binomial. The purpose of this study is to analyze the association between exposure to environmental contaminants and high-risk pregnancy. Case-control study, using a probabilistic and random sample composed of 201 high-risk pregnant women (cases) and 201 no high-risk pregnant women (control) followed up during prenatal care at a Public Hospital. The instrument used was a self-administered questionnaire. Contaminated areas data were obtained from the Environmental Company of the São Paulo State. The participants were georeferenced by their place of residence. Descriptive analysis, Chi-square test, and univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed. The multiple logistic regression model demonstrated that living in a contaminated area (OR = 1.565; 95%CI: 1.033; 2.370), preterm delivery in the current pregnancy (OR = 1.989; 95%CI: 1.239; 3.194), and more than 35 years old (OR = 2.822; 95%CI: 1.692; 4.706) are factors jointly related to high-risk pregnancy. Environmental contaminants play an important role in high-risk pregnancy, and mitigating measures are needed to improve the environment and reduce high-risk pregnancy.

Condição feminina de mulheres chefes de família em situação de vulnerabilidade social / Feminine condition of women heads of family in situation of social vulnerability

O estudo efetuou uma aproximação com a história de mulheres residentes na região central de Santos para compreender sua condição de vida, estratégias de sobrevivência e representações sobre o papel feminino e a construção de sua identidade como mulher. Utilizou-se da história oral para captar os elementos mais significativos da trajetória vivida por nove mulheres por meio de entrevistas realizadas no domicílio. A história delas mostrou processos de rupturas e continuidades, a fragilidade da população sob o efeito dos processos de vulnerabilidade e exclusão, revelando a condição feminina de mulheres em situação de vulnerabilidade social.

The study approached the history of women who live in the central region of Santos to understand their life condition, their strategies to survive and their representations of the female role and of the construction of their identity as women. Nine women were interviewed in the places where they lived to get the most significant elements of their trajectory through their oral histories. Such histories showed processes of ruptures and continuities, as well as the fragility of the population under the effect of vulnerability and exclusion processes, and they disclosed the female condition of women in situation of social vulnerability.