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To evaluate the cumulative incidence of depression and its associated factors in the older population living in the urban area of the municipality of Bagé, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, a prospective cohort study was conducted from 2008 to 2016/2017. The analysis was restricted to 615 older adults with complete information on the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), both at baseline and at follow-up, and who did not present depression in 2008. To calculate crude and adjusted incidence ratios and 95% confidence interval, Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment was used, including the baseline variables. A hierarchical model of four levels of determination was used. The variables were controlled for those of the same or of higher levels, and the p-value ≤ 0.20 was established to remain in the analysis model. In 2008, 523 older people did not have depression and 92 had been screened with the disease. In 2016/2017, of the 523 individuals without depression in the baseline measure, 10.3% tested positive at screening (incident cases), whereas 89.7% of the older adults remained free of the condition. Of the 92 older adults with depression in 2008, 32.6% continued to present depressive symptoms at follow-up and 67.3% had remission of symptoms. Leaving home once or never and being incapable of doing functional and instrumental activities of daily living were associated with a higher risk of positive screening for depression. The results reinforce the multidimensional and dynamic character of depression, which alternates short and long episodes, and may become recurrent and chronic.

This study aims to evaluate the implementation and describe the actions developed in the School Health Program (PSE) by primary care health teams that joined the Brazilian National Program for Improvement of Access and Quality of Basic Care (PMAQ-AB), in 2012, 2014, and 2018. The participation of the teams in school health activities increased throughout the three evaluation cycles, with the expansion of clinical evaluation, health promotion, and disease prevention actions. In cycle II, 24% of the teams performed the seven clinical evaluation actions, 18% performed the six promotion and prevention actions. However, 6.3% of the teams did not perform any clinical evaluation action and 8.8% did not perform health actions of promotion or prevention. In cycle III, more than 90% of the teams participated in the PSE, 84% of the health teams reported a combined planning for actions in schools, and more than 60% of the teams held joint meetings with the schools. PSE was institutionalized in all regions of the country, being more developed in municipalities with 10,000 to 30,000 inhabitants, lower Municipal Human Development Index (HDI-M) level, and greater coverage of the Family Health Strategy (FHS). Despite the positive evolution, the predominance of clinical evaluation actions in relation to health promotion actions and the proportion of teams that still have limitations in the combined efforts between health and education suggest a certain distancing from the PSE guidelines. To advance the implementation of the PSE, it is necessary to train health and education professionals; deepen intersectoral connection; expand the implementation of information and communication technologies; and maintain policies that allow the evaluation of the PSE, in order to support its development.

The objective was to assess the availability of inputs for reproductive planning in basic healthcare units (UBS in Portuguese) that participated in the National Program for Improvement of Access and Quality of Basic Care (PMAQ-AB) and their distribution according to contextual factors. A comparative study was conducted of the three cycles of the PMAQ-AB (2012, 2014, and 2018). The study assessed the availability in the UBS of ethynyl-estradiol + levonorgestrel, norethisterone, norethisterone + estradiol, levonorgestrel, medroxyprogesterone, male and female condoms, IUDs, and rapid pregnancy tests. The study considered the availability and presence of all the inputs. Availability was assessed according to contextual factors in the city where the UBS was located. Availability of total inputs increased from 1.5% to 10.9%. In all the cycles, ethynyl-estradiol + levonorgestrel and male condoms showed the highest availability, and IUDs the lowest. Individual input´s availability also increased, with the highest increase of 36p.p. for female condoms, rapid pregnancy tests, and norethisterone + estradiol and the lowest of 15p.p. for ethynyl-estradiol + levonorgestrel, norethisterone, and IUDs. The North of Brazil showed the worst results. The largest increases were in the UBS in the municipalities with the lowest HDI and in those that participated in all the cycles of the PMAQ. Condoms are the only widely available inputs, and it is important to expand the availability of the other inputs, mainly IUDs and rapid pregnancy tests. The period under study experienced the promotion of equity, but regional inequalities need to be overcome. It is essential to monitor the inputs´ availability in order to improve reproductive planning.

Background: The Bagé Cohort Study of Ageing is a population-based cohort study that has recently completed the first follow-up of a representative sample of older adults from Bagé, a city with more than 100,000 inhabitants located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This is one of the first longitudinal studies to assess the impact of primary health care coverage on health conditions and inequalities. Our aim is to investigate the prevalence, incidence and trends of risk factors, health behaviours, social relationships, non-communicable diseases, geriatric diseases and disorders, hospitalisation, self-perceived health, and all-cause and specific-cause mortality. In addition, we aim to evaluate socioeconomic and health inequalities and the impact of primary health care on the outcomes under study., Methods/design: The study covers participants aged 60 or over, selected by probabilistic (representative) sampling of the urban area of the city of Bagé, which is covered by Primary Health Care Services. The baseline examination included 1593 older adults and was conducted from July 2008 to November 2008. After eight to nine years (2016/2017), the first follow-up was conducted from September 2016 to August 2017. All participants underwent an extensive core assessment programme including structured interviews, questionnaires, cognitive testing (baseline and follow-up), physical examinations and anthropometric measurements (follow-up)., Results: Of the original participants, 1395 (87.6%) were located for follow-up: 757 elderly individuals (47.5%) were re-interviewed, but losses in data transfer occurred for 22. The remaining 638 (40.1%) had died. In addition, we had 81 (5.1%) refusals and 117 (7.3%) losses. Among the 1373 older adults who were followed down, there was a higher proportion of female interviewees (p=0.042) and a higher proportion of male deaths (p=0.001) in 2016/2017. There were no differences in losses and refusals according to gender (p=0.102). There was a difference in average age between the interviewees (68.8 years; SD ±6.5) and non-interviewees (73.2 years; SD ±9.0) (p<0.001). Data are available at the Department of Social Medicine in Federal University of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, for any collaboration.

Objectives. To investigate the role of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) in reducing social inequalities in mortality over a 9-year follow-up period. Methods. We carried out a population-based cohort study of individuals aged 60 years and older from the city of Bagé, Brazil. Of 1593 participants at baseline (2008), 1314 (82.5%) were included in this 9-year follow-up (2017). We assessed type of primary health care (PHC) coverage and other variables at baseline. In 2017, we ascertained 579 deaths through mortality registers. Hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals modeled time to death estimated by Cox regression. We also tested the effect modification between PHC and wealth. Results. The FHS had a protective effect on mortality among individuals aged 60 to 64 years, a result not found among those not covered by the FHS. Interaction analysis showed that the FHS modified the effect of wealth on mortality. The FHS protected the poorest from all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.36, 0.96) and avoidable mortality (HR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.25, 0.85). Conclusions. FHS coverage reduced social inequalities in mortality among older adults. Our findings highlight the need to guarantee universal health coverage in Brazil by expanding and strengthening the FHS to promote health equity.

Objective: to verify the influence of social relations on the survival of older adults living in southern Brazil., Method: a cohort study (2008 and 2016/17), conducted with 1,593 individuals aged 60 years old or over, in individual interviews. The outcomes of social relations and survival were verified by Multiple Correspondence Analysis, which guided the proposal of an explanatory matrix for social relations, the analysis of survival by Kaplan-Meier, and the multivariate analysis by Cox regression to verify the association between the independent variables., Results: follow-up was carried out with 82.5% (n=1,314), with 46.1% being followed up in 2016/17 (n=735) and 579 deaths (36.4%). The older adults who went out of their homes daily had a 39% reduction in mortality, and going to parties kept the protective effect of 17% for survival. The lower risk of death for women is modified when the older adults live in households with two or more people, in this case women have an 89% higher risk of death than men., Conclusion: strengthened social relationships play a mediating role in survival. The findings made it possible to verify the importance of going out of the house as a marker of protection for survival.

Objective: Evaluate the association of multimorbidity, primary health care model and possession of a private health plan with hospitalization., Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study with 1,593 elderly individuals (60 years old or older) living in the urban area of the city of Bagé, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The outcome was hospitalization in the year preceding the interview. The multimorbidity was evaluated through two cut-off points (≥ 2 and ≥ 3). The primary health care model was defined by residence in areas covered by traditional care or by Family Health Strategy. The older adults mentioned the possession of a private health plan. We performed a gross and adjusted analysis by Poisson regression using a hierarchical model. The adjustment included demographic, socioeconomic, functional capacity disability and health services variables., Results: The occurrence of overall and non-surgical hospitalization was 17.7% (95%CI 15.8-19.6) and 10.6% (95%CI 9.1-12.1), respectively. Older adults with multimorbidity were admitted to hospitals more often when to older adults without multimorbidity, regardless of the exhibition' form of operation. Having a private health plan increased the hospitalization by 1.71 (95%CI 1.09-2.69) times among residents in the areas of the Family Health Strategy when compared to elderly residents in traditional areas without a private health plan., Conclusions: The multimorbidity increased the occurrence of hospitalizations, especially non-surgical ones. Hospitalization was more frequent in older adults with private health plan and those living in Family Health Strategy areas, regardless of the presence of multiple diseases., Objetivo: Avaliar a associação da multimorbidade, modelo de atenção básica e posse de plano de saúde com hospitalização., Métodos: Estudo transversal de base populacional com 1.593 idosos (60 anos ou mais) residentes na zona urbana do município de Bagé, Rio Grande do Sul. O desfecho foi a hospitalização no ano anterior à entrevista. A multimorbidade foi avaliada por meio de dois pontos de corte (≥ 2 e ≥ 3). O modelo de atenção básica foi definido pela residência em áreas cobertas pela atenção tradicional ou da Estratégia Saúde da Família. A posse de plano de saúde foi referida pelos idosos. Realizou-se análise bruta e ajustada por regressão de Poisson utilizando modelo hierarquizado. O ajuste incluiu variáveis demográficas, socioeconômicas, capacidades funcionais e de serviços de saúde., Resultados: A ocorrência de hospitalização geral e não cirúrgica foi de 17,7% (IC95% 15,8-19,6) e 10,6% (IC95% 9,1-12,1), respectivamente. Idosos com multimorbidade hospitalizaram mais em comparação com os idosos sem multimorbidade, independentemente da forma de operacionalização da exposição. O plano de saúde aumentou em 1,71 (IC95% 1,09-2,69) vezes a internação hospitalar entre residentes nas áreas da Estratégia Saúde da Família em comparação aos idosos residentes nas áreas tradicionais sem plano de saúde., Conclusões: A multimorbidade aumentou a ocorrência de hospitalizações, principalmente aquelas não cirúrgicas. Idosos com plano de saúde e residentes em áreas de Estratégia Saúde da Família internaram mais, independentemente da presença de múltiplas doenças.

The scope of the article is to present the reflections of professionals from the Mais Médicos Program (More Doctors Program) on the significance of the specialization course in Family Health in terms of professional practice and learning the most important concepts. This is an empirically based qualitative study on the statements recorded in the "Critical reflection on their personal learning process" of the final work of the specialization course at the Federal University of Pelotas. For textual analysis, 101 reports were randomly selected from a total of 1,011 reports completed in seven states of the North, Northeast and South of Brazil from June to December 2015. The initial barriers were overcome with tutor support and team integration, with emphasis on teaching tools for the improvement of clinical practice and strategic organization of work and greater understanding of the public health system. Fostering the learning of the Portuguese language and the exchange of experience in the forums were considered valuable positive aspects. Despite the difficulty in Internet access in some municipalities it reaffirmed the central role of ongoing education and the viability of the problem-solving methodology, even from a distance.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of home care for the Brazilian elderly population and associated factors, using a cross-sectional design with a sample of individuals 60 years or older living in the urban areas of 100 municipalities located in 23 states. A Poisson regression model was used for crude and adjusted analyses. A total of 6,624 elderly individuals were interviewed, and prevalence of home care was 11.7%. After adjustment, higher home care rates were associated with female gender, older old age, lower schooling and purchasing power, diagnosis of chronic illness, history of falls, previous hospitalization, and medical consultation in the previous three months. The results highlight more extensive use of home care by the most vulnerable elderly. This finding suggests a contribution from home care to the promotion of healthcare equity in Brazil, especially due to the expansion of the Family Health Strategy. The results can support the organization of the work process for primary care professionals and managers.