SummaryBackgroundLatin American and Caribbean populations include three main ethnic groups: indigenous people, people of African descent, and people of European descent. We investigated ethnic inequalities among these groups in population coverage with reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health interventions.MethodsWe analysed 16 standardised, nationally representative surveys carried out from 2004 to 2015 in Latin America and the Caribbean that provided information on ethnicity or a proxy indicator (household language or skin colour) and on coverage of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health interventions. We selected four outcomes: coverage with modern contraception, antenatal care coverage (defined as four or more antenatal visits), and skilled attendants at birth for women aged 15–49 years; and coverage with three doses of diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT3) vaccine among children aged 12–23 months. We classified women and children as indigenous, of African descent, or other ancestry (reference group) on the basis of their self-reported ethnicity or language. Mediating variables included wealth quintiles (based on household asset indices), woman's education, and urban-rural residence. We calculated crude and adjusted coverage ratios using Poisson regression.FindingsEthnic gaps in coverage varied substantially from country to country. In most countries, coverage with modern contraception (median coverage ratio 0·82, IQR 0·66–0·92), antenatal care (0·86, 0·75–0·94), and skilled birth attendants (0·75, 0·68–0·92) was lower among indigenous women than in the reference group. Only three countries (Nicaragua, Panama, and Paraguay) showed significant gaps in DPT3 coverage between the indigenous and the reference groups. The differences were attenuated but persisted after adjustment for wealth, education, and residence. Women and children of African descent showed similar coverage to the reference group in most countries.InterpretationThe lower coverage levels for indigenous women are pervasive, and cannot be explained solely by differences in wealth, education, or residence. Interventions delivered at community level—such as vaccines—show less inequality than those requiring access to services, such as birth attendance. Regular monitoring of ethnic inequalities is essential to evaluate existing initiatives aimed at the inclusion of minorities and to plan effective multisectoral policies and programmes.FundingThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (through the Countdown to 2030 initiative) and the Wellcome Trust.

Background With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a renewed commitment of tackling the varied challenges of undernutrition, particularly stunting (SDG 2.2). Health equity is also a priority in the SDG agenda and there is an urgent need for disaggregated analyses to identify disadvantaged subgroups. We compared time trends in socioeconomic inequalities obtained through stratification by wealth quintiles and deciles for stunting prevalence. Methods We used 37 representative Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster surveys from nine Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries conducted between 1996 and 2016. Stunting in children under-5 years was assessed according to the 2006 WHO Child Growth Standards and stratified by wealth quintiles and deciles. Within-country socioeconomic inequalities were measured through concentration index (CIX) and slope index of inequality (SII). We used variance-weighted least squares regression to estimate annual changes. Results Eight out of nine countries showed a statistical evidence of reduction in stunting prevalence over time. Differences between extreme deciles were larger than between quintiles in most of countries and at every point in time. However, when using summary measures of inequality, there were no differences in the estimates of SII with the use of deciles and quintiles. In absolute terms, there was a reduction in socioeconomic inequalities in Peru, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Belize, Suriname and Colombia. In relative terms, there was an increase in socioeconomic inequalities in Peru, Bolivia, Haiti, Honduras and Guatemala. Conclusions LAC countries have made substantial progress in terms of reducing stunting,. Nevertheless, renewed actions are needed to improve equity. Particularly in those countries were absolute and relative inequalities did not change over time such Bolivia and Guatemala. Finer breakdowns in wealth distribution are expected to elucidate more differences between subgroups; however, this approach is relevant to cast light on those subgroups that are still lagging behind within populations and inform equity-oriented health programs and practices.

Objective: to describe the adequacy of primary health care center structure, requests for tests and prenatal care reported by female health service users within the scope of the Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality (PMAQ) in Brazil. Methods: this was a cross-sectional study using PMAQ Cycle II (2014) data. Results: data from 9,909 health centers, 9,905 teams, and 9,945 female health service users were included; 70.1% (95%CI 69.2;71.0) of health centers had adequate structure; 88.0% (95%CI 87.4;88.7) of the teams requested all tests; 59.8% (95%CI 58.8;60.8) of female health service users reported receiving total guidance, and 23.4% of them (95%CI 22.5;24.2) underwent all physical examination procedures; teams that participated in both Cycle I and Cycle II presented better results. Conclusion: in spite of shortcomings in Primary Care structure and work process in Brazil, PMAQ appears to positively affect prenatal care.

ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of good quality child care in the first week of life in primary care services in Brazil and identify associated factors related to maternal, primary healthcare (PHC) facility and municipality characteristics.SettingBrazilian PHC.Participants6715 users of PHC facilities aged over 18 years with children under 2 years of age.Primary outcomeThe good quality child care was defined when the following health interventions were performed during postnatal check-up in the first week of life: the child was weighed and measured; the healthcare professional observed breastfeeding techniques and offered counselling on the safest sleeping position; the umbilical cord was examined and the heel prick test was performed.ResultsThe prevalence of good quality care was 52.6% (95% CI 51.4% to 53.8%). Observation of breastfeeding techniques (75.9%) and counselling on the safest sleeping position (72.3%) were the activities least performed. Babies born to mothers who received a home visit from a community health worker and made a postpartum visit were twice as likely to receive good quality care (OR 1.96; 95% CI 1.70 to 2.24 and OR 1.97; 95% CI 1.74 to 2.24, respectively).ConclusionsThe information reported by the mothers related to Family Health team work processes was associated with good quality care in the first week of life. Supporting strategies that strengthen health team active search and timely screening actions could promote adequate early childhood development.

Background Countries with health systems centered around Primary Health Care tend to achieve better results in maternal and child health, especially in relation to lower morbimortality rates due to preventable causes and health inequalities. However, Primary Health Care is a complex, multifaceted intervention, making it fundamental to understand how its mechanisms address relevant population health outcomes. This paper seeks to identify, classify, evaluate and summarize existing evidence on Primary Health Care mechanisms that influence mortality in children under five, based on a critical realistic epistemology, to inform decision-making. Main body A realist, five-step synthesis was conducted to grasp such mechanisms. As the first step, a theoretical model depicting comprehensive primary health care was developed, based on the analysis of documents from Brazilian regulation on maternal and child health care. The next steps involved an article search, selection and review of relevant sources, extraction and synthesis of evidence, and, finally, the reaching of a consensus on the final theoretical model in step five, based on the evidence encountered in the selected studies. One hundred and thirty-five studies were included, covering research in several countries, exemplifying primary health care as an effective intervention to improve children’s health in different contexts. Additionally, this review revealed that specific interventions, based on selective primary health care, are less powerful, signaling the importance of a systemic approach that acknowledges the interconnection and interaction of Primary Health Care’s multiple components. Furthermore, significant gaps in existing evidence related to specific structuring components of Primary Health Care and how they affect child health, including, but not limited to, planning and organization of services and work processes, or the referral and regulation system. Conclusions We envision that the results of this study may support decision-makers with a deeper understanding of Primary Health Care and how it can be most effective in the improvement of the population’s health. We recommend further studies addressing Primary Health Care as a complex and comprehensive intervention, in different contexts, specifically in relation to the components and indicators of our theoretical model.