BACKGROUND: The occurrence of multimorbidity and its impacts have differentially affected population subgroups. Evidence on its incidence has mainly come from high-income regions, with limited exploration of racial disparities. This study investigated the association between racial groups and the development of multimorbidity and chronic conditions in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).
METHODS: Data from self-reported white, brown (pardos or mixed-race), and black participants at baseline of ELSA-Brasil (2008-2010) who were at risk for multimorbidity were analysed. The development of chronic conditions was assessed through in-person visits and self-reported diagnosis via telephone until the third follow-up visit (2017-2019). Multimorbidity was defined when, at the follow-up visit, the participant had two or more morbidities. Cumulative incidences, incidence rates, and adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated using Poisson models.
RESULTS: Over an 8.3-year follow-up, compared to white participants: browns had a 27% greater incidence of hypertension and obesity; and blacks had a 62% and 45% greater incidence, respectively. Blacks also had 58% more diabetes. The cancer incidence was greater among whites. Multimorbidity affected 41% of the participants, with a crude incidence rate of 57.5 cases per 1000 person-years (ranging from 56.3 for whites to 63.9 for blacks). Adjusted estimates showed a 20% higher incidence of multimorbidity in black participants compared to white participants (IRR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.05-1.38).
CONCLUSIONS: Significant racial disparities in the risk of chronic conditions and multimorbidity were observed. Many associations revealed a gradient increase in illness risk according to darker skin tones. Addressing fundamental causes such as racism and racial discrimination, alongside considering social determinants of health, is vital for comprehensive multimorbidity care. Intersectoral, equitable policies are essential for ensuring health rights for historically marginalized groups.
UNASSIGNED: A ocorrência de multimorbidade e seus impactos têm afetado de forma diferenciada os subgrupos populacionais. As evidências sobre sua incidência provêm principalmente de regiões de alta renda, com exploração limitada das disparidades raciais. Este estudo investigou a associação entre grupos raciais e o desenvolvimento de multimorbidade e de condições crônicas no Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto (ELSA-Brasil). MéTODOS: Foram analisados dados de participantes autodeclarados brancos, pardos (raças mistas) e pretos na linha de base do ELSA-Brasil (2008-2010) que estavam em risco para a multimorbidade. O desenvolvimento de condições crônicas foi avaliado a partir das visitas presenciais e autorrelato de diagnóstico por telefone até a terceira visita de seguimento (2017-2019). A multimorbidade foi definida quando na visita de seguimento o participante possuía duas ou mais morbidades. Foram estimadas incidências acumuladas, taxas de incidência e razões das taxas de incidência (RTI) ajustadas a partir de modelos de Poisson.
RESULTS: Em um acompanhamento de 8,3 anos, em comparação aos participantes brancos: os pardos tiveram uma incidência 27% maior de hipertensão e obesidade; e os pretos tiveram uma incidência 62% e 45% maior, respectivamente. Os pretos também tiveram 58% mais diabetes. A incidência de câncer foi maior entre os brancos. A multimorbidade afetou 41% dos participantes, com uma taxa bruta de incidência de 57,5 casos por 1.000 pessoas-ano (variando de 56,3 para brancos a 63,9 para pretos). Estimativas ajustadas mostraram incidência 20% maior de multimorbidade em pretos comparados aos brancos (RTI: 1,20; IC 95%: 1,05-1,38). CONCLUSõES: Foram observadas disparidades raciais significativas no risco de condições crônicas e multimorbidade. Muitas associações revelaram um aumento gradiente no risco de doenças de acordo com tons de pele mais escuros. Abordar causas fundamentais como o racismo e a discriminação racial, juntamente com a consideração dos determinantes sociais da saúde, é vital para o cuidado abrangente da multimorbidade. Políticas intersetoriais e equitativas são essenciais para a garantia do direito à saúde aos grupos historicamente marginalizados.

UNASSIGNED: Analyze inequalities in self-perceived health among population groups located at the intersections of gender identity, ethnicity, and education level in countries of the Americas, classified by income level.
UNASSIGNED: Panel data from the World Values Survey were used for the period 1990-2022. The study sample included 58 790 people between 16 and 65 years of age from 14 countries in the Americas. The dependent variable was poor self-perceived health, and the independent variables were gender, education level, and ethnicity. A multi-categorical variable with 12 strata was created for the intercategorical intersectionality analysis. An analysis of individual heterogeneity and diagnostic accuracy was performed using five logistic regression models, adjusted by age and by survey wave.
UNASSIGNED: A clear and persistent intersectional gradient for poor self-perceived health was observed in all country disaggregations by income. Compared to the category with the most advantage (men of majority ethnicity and higher education), the other groups had increased risk of poor health, with the highest risk among women of minority ethnicity and in Indigenous peoples with less than secondary education (three to four times higher). In addition, women had a higher risk of poor health than men in each pair of intersectional strata.
UNASSIGNED: The intersectional analysis demonstrated a persistent social gradient of self-perceived ill health in the Americas.
UNASSIGNED: Analisar desigualdades na autopercepção de saúde entre grupos populacionais localizados nas interseções de identidade de gênero, etnia e nível de escolaridade em países das Américas, classificados pelo nível de renda.
UNASSIGNED: Foram usados dados em painel da Pesquisa Mundial de Valores referentes ao período de 1990 a 2022. A amostra deste estudo incluiu 58 790 pessoas com idades entre 16 e 65 anos de 14 países das Américas. A variável dependente foi a autopercepção de problemas de saúde, e as variáveis independentes foram gênero, nível de escolaridade e etnia. Para a análise interseccional intercategórica, foi criada uma variável multicategórica de 12 estratos. Foi realizada uma análise da heterogeneidade individual e da precisão do diagnóstico usando cinco modelos de regressão logística ajustados por idade e onda de pesquisa.
UNASSIGNED: Observou-se um gradiente interseccional claro e persistente para a autopercepção de problemas de saúde em todas as desagregações de países por renda. Em comparação com a categoria mais favorecida (homens de etnia majoritária e com ensino superior), todos os outros grupos apresentaram maior risco de problemas de saúde, com o maior risco para mulheres de etnias minoritárias ou povos indígenas com nível de escolaridade inferior ao ensino médio (três a quatro vezes maior). Além disso, as mulheres tinham um risco maior de problemas de saúde do que os homens em cada um dos pares de estratos interseccionais.
UNASSIGNED: A análise interseccional demonstrou a persistência de um gradiente social na autopercepção de problemas de saúde nas Américas.

This protocol proposes an approach to assessing the place of residence as a spatial determinant of health in cities where traffic congestion might impact health services accessibility. The study provides dynamic travel times presenting data in ways that help shape decisions and spur action by diverse stakeholders and sectors.  Equity assessments in geographical accessibility to health services typically rely on static metrics, such as distance or average travel times. This new approach uses dynamic spatial accessibility measures providing travel times from the place of residence to the health service with the shortest journey time. It will show the interplay between traffic congestion, accessibility, and health equity and should be used to inform urban and health services monitoring and planning. Available digitised data enable efficient and accurate accessibility measurements for urban areas using publicly available sources and provide disaggregated sociodemographic information and an equity perspective. Test cases are done for urgent and frequent care (i.e., repeated ambulatory care). Situational analyses will be done with cross-sectional urban assessments; estimated potential improvements will be made for one or two new services, and findings will inform recommendations and future studies. This study will use visualisations and descriptive statistics to allow non-specialized stakeholders to understand the effects of accessibility on populations and health equity. This includes \"time-to-destination\" metrics or the proportion of the people that can reach a service by car within a given travel time threshold from the place of residence. The study is part of the AMORE Collaborative Project, in which a diverse group of stakeholders seeks to address equity for accessibility to essential health services, including health service users and providers, authorities, and community members, including academia.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on inequalities in the health services use is important for public policy formulation, even more so in a pandemic context. The aim of this study was to evaluate socioeconomic inequities in the specialized health use services according to health insurance and income, following COVID-19 in individuals residing in Southern Brazil.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional telephone survey with individuals aged 18 years or older diagnosed with symptomatic COVID-19 using the RT-PCR test between December 2020 and March 2021. Questions were asked about attendance at a health care facility following COVID-19, the facilities used, health insurance and income. Inequalities were assessed by the following measures: Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and Concentration Index (CIX). Adjusted analyses were performed using Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment using the Stata 16.1 statistical package.
RESULTS: 2,919 people (76.4% of those eligible) were interviewed. Of these, 24.7% (95%CI 23.2; 36.3) used at least one specialized health service and 20.3% (95%CI 18.9; 21.8) had at least one consultation with specialist doctors after diagnosis of COVID-19. Individuals with health insurance were more likely to use specialized services. The probability of using specialized services was up to three times higher among the richest compared to the poorest.
CONCLUSIONS: There are socioeconomic inequalities in the specialized services use by individuals following COVID-19 in the far south of Brazil. It is necessary to reduce the difficulty in accessing and using specialized services and to extrapolate the logic that purchasing power transposes health needs. The strengthening of the public health system is essential to guarantee the population\'s right to health.

OBJECTIVE: The feminization of migration, the need to provide health care to an increasingly diverse population, seeking optimal health data led to considering this research. The objective was to determine the characteristics (socio-demographic profile, obstetric and gynecological record, and monitoring) of migrated pregnant women with a pregnancy process completed in 2019 in Catalonia compared to native women, in public centers (ASSIR-ICS).
METHODS: This descriptive study was based on computerized clinical records of women in the 28 centers dependent on the ICS. A descriptive analysis of the variables was carried out to compare the origin of the pregnant women. The Pearson Chi-Square test at 5% and the corrected standardized residual was used to compare the groups and an analysis of variance for the comparison of means also at 5%.
RESULTS: 36.315 women were analyzed and the resulting mean age was 31.1 years. The BMI at the beginning of pregnancy was 25.4 on average. Smoking habit was 18.1% among Spanish 17.3% among European. Sexist violence was 4% in Latin American women, being statistically higher than the rest. The risk of preeclampsia was 23.4% in sub-Saharan women. Gestational diabetes was diagnosed mainly among Pakistanis (18.5%). The prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) was detected in Latin Americans (8.6%), Spanish (5.8%) and Europeans (4.5%). Sub-Saharan women performed insufficient ultrasound control (58.2%) and had the lowest percentage of visits with 49.5%. Pregnancy monitoring was insufficient in 79.9% of all rural pregnant women.
CONCLUSIONS: There are differences derived from the geographical origins of pregnant women that condition access to health services.
OBJECTIVE: La feminización de la migración y la necesidad de dar asistencia sanitaria a una población cada vez más diversa, buscando unos datos óptimos de salud, llevó a plantearse esta investigación. El objetivo fue determinar las características (perfil socio-demográfico, antecedentes obstétricos-ginecológicos y el seguimiento) de gestantes migradas con un proceso de embarazo finalizado en 2019 en Cataluña frente a las autóctonas, en centros públicos (ASSIR-ICS).
METHODS: Este estudio descriptivo se basó en los registros de historia clínica informatizada de mujeres en veintiocho centros dependientes del ICS. Se analizaron las variables según la procedencia de las gestantes y se utilizó la prueba de Ji Cuadrado de Pearson al 5% acompañada del residuo estandarizado corregido para compararlas, así como el análisis de la varianza para la comparación de medias también al 5%.
RESULTS: Se analizaron 36.315 registros con edad media de 31,1 años. El IMC al inicio de gestación fue de 25,4. El consumo de tabaco fue del 18,1% entre españolas y del 17,3% en el resto de las europeas. El cribado de violencia machista llegó al 4% en latinoamericanas, siendo estadísticamente superior al resto. El riesgo de preeclampsia fue del 23,4% en subsaharianas. La diabetes gestacional fue diagnosticada principalmente entre paquistaníes (18,5%). La prevalencia de Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual (ITS) fue del 8,6% en latinoamericanas, del 5,8% en españolas y del 4,5% en europeas. Las subsaharianas (58,2%) realizaron un control insuficiente de ecografías y un menor porcentaje de visitas con un 49,5%. El seguimiento del embarazo fue insuficiente en el 79,9% del total de las gestantes rurales.
CONCLUSIONS: Existen diferencias derivadas del origen geográfico de las gestantes que condicionan el acceso a los servicios sanitarios.

The Sustainable Development Goals have helped to focus attention on the importance of reducing inequality and \'leaving no one behind\'. Monitoring health inequalities is essential for providing evidence to inform policies, programmes and practices that can close existing gaps and achieve health equity. The Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT and HEAT Plus) software was developed by the World Health Organization to facilitate the assessment of within-country health inequalities.
HEAT contains a built-in database of disaggregated health data, while HEAT Plus allows users to upload and analyze inequalities using their own datasets. Version 4.0 of the software incorporated enhancements to the toolkit\'s capacity for equity assessments. This includes a multilingual interface, interactive and downloadable visualizations, flexibility to analyze inequalities using any dataset of disaggregated data, and the built-in calculation of 19 summary measures of inequality. This paper outlines the improved features and functionalities of the HEAT and HEAT Plus software since their original release, highlighted through an example of how the toolkit can be used to assess inequalities in the COVID-19 pandemic era.
The features of the HEAT and HEAT Plus software make it a valuable tool for analyzing and reporting inequalities related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its indirect impacts on inequalities in other health and non-health areas, providing evidence to inform equity-oriented interventions and strategies.

UNASSIGNED: To describe the coverage of quality prenatal care and trends in inequality of care among pregnant women in Peru in the period 2009-2019.
UNASSIGNED: Cross-sectional analysis, with data on prenatal care from the Demographic and Family Health Survey for the years 2009, 2014, and 2019. The number and quality of visits during pregnancy were considered. Absolute and relative measures of health inequality were calculated for stratified groups.
UNASSIGNED: Coverage (number of prenatal visits) increased from 77.22% in 2009 to 87.52% in 2019. The relative gap by area of residence (between women in rural and urban areas) decreased from 15% (2009) to 3% (2019), while the percentage of pregnant women without access to quality visits decreased from 45.16% (2009) to 29.35% (2019). In terms of access to quality checkups, absolute inequality by wealth quintile was reduced by almost half, from 55.96% to 25.95%. However, in 2019, there was still a relative gap of 37% in favor of pregnant women with a university education, compared to pregnant women without schooling.
UNASSIGNED: In Peru, inequality gaps in access to prenatal visits have been closing. However, the national data set conceals inequalities in quality care between populations. Inequality in access to quality care should be used as an indicator to monitor coverage of prenatal visits.
UNASSIGNED: Descrever a cobertura de assistência pré-natal de qualidade e a evolução de suas desigualdades em gestantes peruanas no período 2009-2019.
UNASSIGNED: Análise transversal utilizando dados da Pesquisa Demográfica e de Saúde da Família dos anos 2009, 2014 e 2019 sobre assistência pré-natal; consideraram-se o número de consultas durante a gestação e a sua qualidade. Foram calculadas medidas absolutas e relativas de desigualdade na saúde de grupos estratificados.
UNASSIGNED: A cobertura do número de consultas pré-natais aumentou de 77,22% em 2009 para 87,52% em 2019. Além disso, entre as mulheres de áreas rurais e urbanas, a diferença relativa por área de residência diminuiu de 15% (2009) para 3% (2019), enquanto o percentual de gestantes sem acesso a consultas de qualidade diminuiu de 45,16% (2009) para 29,35% (2019). Quanto ao acesso a controles de qualidade, a desigualdade absoluta por quintil de riqueza foi reduzida quase pela metade, de 55,96% para 25,95%. No entanto, nesse indicador, a diferença relativa para o ano de 2019 ainda favorece gestantes com formação universitária 37% a mais do que gestantes sem escolaridade.
UNASSIGNED: No Peru, a desigualdade de acesso a consultas pré-natais tem diminuído. No entanto, o conjunto dos dados nacionais oculta desigualdades entre populações em termos de assistência de qualidade. A desigualdade no acesso à assistência de qualidade deveria ser utilizada como indicador que permite o monitoramento da cobertura de consultas pré-natais.

UNASSIGNED: To appraise the presence and magnitude of inter- and intra-country health inequalities related to HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) among young females.
UNASSIGNED: We analyzed household surveys in twenty LAC countries, that included data from female adolescents and young women (ages 15-24) between 2008 and 2018, measuring inequality with the concentration index of 4 indicators: 1) whether individuals have heard of HIV or not, 2) a composite variable of correct knowledge, 3) reported condom use with the last partner, and 4) whether individuals were ever tested for HIV.
UNASSIGNED: Participants from households in countries with higher socioeconomic status are more likely to have heard of HIV, have correct knowledge of HIV transmission, and have used condoms during their last sexual intercourse. The inter-country concentration index for those indicators were 0.352, 0.302 and 0.110, respectively.
UNASSIGNED: Economically disadvantaged female adolescents and young women in LAC face an increased risk for HIV, as they are less aware of HIV and its actual transmission mechanism and are less likely to use condoms with their sexual partners. There is an urgent need to tailor prevention strategies of sexually transmitted infections and HIV for adolescents and young women that are sensitive to their socioeconomic context.
UNASSIGNED: Evaluar la presencia y la magnitud de las desigualdades en la salud entre los países y dentro de cada país en relación con la infección por el VIH en las mujeres jóvenes en América Latina y el Caribe.
UNASSIGNED: Analizamos encuestas de hogares en veinte países de América Latina y el Caribe con datos sobre las adolescentes y las mujeres jóvenes (de edades entre 15 y 24 años) entre el 2008 y el 2018. En estas encuestas se medía la desigualdad con un índice de concentración de cuatro indicadores: 1) si sabían lo que era el VIH o no, 2) una variable compuesta con respecto a los conocimientos correctos, 3) si habían usado preservativo con su pareja más reciente, y 4) si se habían hecho alguna vez la prueba del VIH.
UNASSIGNED: Las participantes de los hogares en países con una situación socioeconómica más alta tienen mayores probabilidades de saber acerca del VIH, de tener los conocimientos correctos con respecto a la transmisión del VIH y de haber usado preservativo en su relación sexual más reciente. El índice de concentración entre países para esos indicadores fue de 0,352, 0,302 y 0,110, respectivamente.
UNASSIGNED: Las adolescentes y las mujeres jóvenes económicamente desfavorecidas en América Latina y el Caribe se enfrentan a un riesgo mayor de contraer el VIH, ya que saben menos sobre este virus y su mecanismo real de transmisión, y es menos probable que usen preservativo con sus parejas sexuales. Hay una necesidad urgente de adaptar las estrategias de prevención de las infecciones de transmisión sexual y de la infección por el VIH para las adolescentes y las mujeres jóvenes que son susceptibles a su contexto socioeconómico.
UNASSIGNED: Avaliar a presença e a dimensão das desigualdades em saúde relacionadas ao HIV entre os países e dentro de cada país em adolescentes e mulheres jovens da América Latina e Caribe.
UNASSIGNED: Analisamos pesquisas domiciliares realizadas em 20 países da América Latina e Caribe contendo dados de adolescentes do sexo feminino e mulheres jovens (15 a 24 anos) para o período entre 2008 e 2018, mensurando a desigualdade pelo índice de concentração segundo 4 indicadores: 1) ter ouvido falar de HIV, 2) uma variável composta de conhecimento correto, 3) uso de preservativo com o último parceiro (autorrelatado) e 4) ter feito o teste de HIV.
UNASSIGNED: As participantes domiciliadas em países com nível socioeconômico mais alto têm uma chance maior de ter ouvido falar de HIV, de ter conhecimento correto da transmissão do vírus e de ter feito uso de preservativos na última relação sexual. Os índices de concentração entre os países para estes indicadores foram 0,352, 0,302 e 0,110, respectivamente.
UNASSIGNED: As adolescentes e mulheres jovens da América Latina e Caribe em situação econômica menos favorecida têm um risco maior de se infectar pelo HIV porque sabem menos sobre o vírus e seu real mecanismo de transmissão, e é menos provável que façam uso de preservativos com seus parceiros sexuais. As estratégias de prevenção de infecções sexualmente transmissíveis e do HIV precisam urgentemente ser adaptadas ao contexto socioeconômico em que se inserem as adolescentes e mulheres jovens da Região.

The task of health inequality monitoring is not possible without the availability of appropriate and high-quality data at various levels. Data source mapping - a process by which data sources are systematically enlisted, their properties detailed and each source appraised for the purposes of monitoring - is an essential initial step for health inequality monitoring. We outline a simple process along with a template for data source mapping and its application in Indonesia, concluding with the lessons learned from this process, in terms of both challenges as well as the opportunities and advantages arising from the use of equity-related data from the Indonesian health information system.

Inequalities in health represent a major problem in many countries, including Indonesia. Addressing health inequality is a central component of the Sustainable Development Goals and a priority of the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO provides technical support for health inequality monitoring among its member states. Following a capacity-building workshop in the WHO South-East Asia Region in 2014, Indonesia expressed interest in incorporating health-inequality monitoring into its national health information system.
This article details the capacity-building process for national health inequality monitoring in Indonesia, discusses successes and challenges, and how this process may be adapted and implemented in other countries/settings.
We outline key capacity-building activities undertaken between April 2016 and December 2017 in Indonesia and present the four key outcomes of this process.
The capacity-building process entailed a series of workshops, meetings, activities, and processes undertaken between April 2016 and December 2017. At each stage, a range of stakeholders with access to the relevant data and capacity for data analysis, interpretation and reporting was engaged with, under the stewardship of state agencies. Key steps to strengthening health inequality monitoring included capacity building in (1) identification of the health topics/areas of interest, (2) mapping data sources and identifying gaps, (3) conducting equity analyses using raw datasets, and (4) interpreting and reporting inequality results. As a result, Indonesia developed its first national report on the state of health inequality. A number of peer-reviewed manuscripts on various aspects of health inequality in Indonesia have also been developed.
The capacity-building process undertaken in Indonesia is designed to be adaptable to other contexts. Capacity building for health inequality monitoring among countries is a critical step for strengthening equity-oriented national health information systems and eventually tackling health inequities.