Spatial distribution of hospitalization rates of children due to pneumonia in the Unified Health System, in the municipalities of the state of São Paulo

ABSTRACT:

Objective:   To identify spatial patterns in the distribution of hospitalization rates of children with pneumonia in the state of São Paulo, Brazil from 2009 to 2013.

Methods:   This was an exploratory ecological study with data obtained from DATASUS of hospitalizations of children with pneumonia in the municipalities in São Paulo from 2009 to 2013/ Data on maternal education and family income were obtained and rates per thousand children were calculated and inserted in a database of municipalities obtained from IBGE. Thematic, kernel and Moran maps were constructed for the hospitalization rates and the Moran indices were calculated. The TerraView program was used for spatial analysis.

Results:   A total of 43,809 children were hospitalized in the study period, with a minimum of zero and a maximum of 69,072. The mean rate per municipality was 11.51 ± 8.62 (SD). The Moran index was 0.21 (p = 0.01). The thematic map showed clusters in the northern, northwestern, midwestern and southwestern regions of the state; the kernel map showed a higher density of rates in the northwestern and midwestern areas, and the Moran map identified 39 municipalities that deserve the attention of municipal and regional managers.

Conclusions:   Geoprocessing identifies regions with higher hospitalization rates for pneumonia and also municipalities that deserve a high intervention priority.

Keywords: Spatial analysis; Pneumonia; Child health; Geographic information system