The characteristics of children under five years of age receiving basic care services in two municipalities in the Northeast region of Brazil

Objectives: to describe the prevalence of health service consultations with a doctor or a nurse among children under five years of age in the municipalities of Caracol and Anisio de Abreu, Piaui and to identify associated factors. Methods: a population-based cross-sectional study was carried out with children aged between 0 and 59 months. Data was collected using questionnaires between July and September 2008. Poisson's Regression and the hierarchized model were used for multivariate analysis. Results: among the 1640 children included in the study, the prevalence of health service consultations in Caracol was 44.2% (CI95% 40.1-47.4) and 48.5% (CI95% 44.8-52.1) in Anisio de Abreu. After adjustment for any confounding factors, consultation was found to be associated with higher household income and shorter distance from the health service in Caracol. In Anisio de Abreu, the outcome was associated with water supply and the child's age. Conclusions: the analysis found differences in health care related to socioeconomic conditions between the municipalities, indicating inequities in the health service. Adapted from the source document.