Urban upgrading and its impact on health: a “quasi-experimental” mixed-methods study protocol for the BH-Viva Project

Abstract

There is little scientific evidence that urban upgrading helps improve health or reduce inequities. This article presents the design for the BH-Viva Project, a “quasi-experimental”, multiphase, mixed-methods study with quantitative and qualitative components, proposing an analytical model for monitoring the effects that interventions in the urban environment can have on residents’ health in slums in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. A preliminary analysis revealed intra-urban differences in age-specific mortality when comparing areas with and without interventions; the mortality rate from 2002 to 2012 was stable in the “formal city”, increased in slums without interventions, and decreased in slums with interventions. BH-Viva represents an effort at advancing methodological issues, providing learning and theoretical backing for urban health research and research methods, allowing their application and extension to other urban contexts.

Temporal and Spatial Trends in Childhood Asthma-Related Hospitalizations in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil and Their Association with Social Vulnerability

“…The average annual growth rate for the city was calculated based on population changes in specific areas such as formal areas and slums [ 19 ]. The 2010 base population was estimated from the 2000 population and used to calculate the cohort growth rate for the city in the intercensal period [ 19 ].…”

Cause and context: place-based approaches to investigate how environments affect mental health

“…In this light, mixed methods may improve placed-based research as they may help to explore hidden components of an intervention that pose a threat to external validity or help identify opportunities to adapt the implementation strategies to a new setting [34,35]. It may also be useful for maximizing place-based benefits that also depend on social cohesion and perceptions among residents.…”

Homicídios em Belo Horizonte, MG: um retrato das iniquidades nas cidades

“…As a large urban center, Belo Horizonte's spatial logic of organization is not far from that of megacities. Thus, the capital is subjected to poor housing conditions, complex social relationships, large favelas, and the emergence of health problems amplified by social inequality, such as homicides (Friche et al, 2015).…”

“…These may have a positive influence on quality of life by reducing health problems, including homicides (Caiaffa et al, 2008;Cerdá et al, 2012;Corburn;Sverdlik, 2017;Ezeh et al, 2017). This is the backdrop for the development of the "BH-Viva" project (Friche et al, 2015), which has been employing quantitative and qualitative methods to build a model for evaluating public policies aimed at urban reconstruction in the city's favelas. More specifically, the model aims to assess the "Vila Viva" program (Afonso;Magalhães, 2014), implemented by the Belo Horizonte City Hall (Prefeitura de Belo Horizonte -PBH), and its impact on health events, including homicides.…”