Tuberculosis inequalities & socio-economic deprivation in Portugal

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2017-07

Authors

Duarte R (Author) FMUP

Journal

Title: The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease

Vol. 21

Pages: 784-789

ISSN: 1027-3719

Publisher: International Union Against Tuberculosis And Lung Disease

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 24 Citations

Scopus - 22 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00T-4H7

DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.16.0907

Abstract (EN): OBJECTIVE : To analyse the geographical distribution of tuberculosis (TB) in Portugal and estimate the association between TB and socio-economic deprivation. METHODS : An ecological study at the municipality level using TB notifications for 2010-2014 was conducted. Spatial Bayesian models were used to calculate smoothed standardised notification rates, identify highand low-risk areas and estimate the association between TB notification and the European Deprivation Index (EDI) for Portugal and its component variables. RESULTS : Standardised notification rates ranged from 4.41 to 76.44 notifications per 100 000 population. Forty-one high-risk and 156 low-risk municipalities were identified. There was no statistically significant association between TB notification rate and the EDI, but some of its variables, such as the proportion of manual workers and the percentage unemployed, were significantly and directly associated with TB notification, whereas the variable 'proportion of residents with low education level' showed an inverse relationship. CONCLUS ION: Wide inequalities in TB notification rates were observed, and some areas continued to exhibit high TB notification rates. We found significant associations between TB and some socio-economic factors of the EDI. ©2017 The Union.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 6