OBJECTIVE
To analyze if the
distribution of specialized care services for HIV/AIDS is associated with AIDS
rates.
METHODS
Ecological study, for
which the distribution of 10 specialized care services in the Ceara state,
Northeastern Brazil, was obtained, and the mean rates of the disease were
estimated per mesoregion. We evaluated 7,896 individuals who had been diagnosed
with AIDS, were aged 13 years or older, lived in Ceara, and had been informed of
their condition between 2001 and 2011. Maps were constructed to verify the
relationship between the distribution of AIDS cases and institutionalized
support networks in the 2001-2006 and 2007-2011 periods. BoxMap and LisaMap
were used for data analysis. The Voronoi diagram was applied for the
distribution of the studied services.
RESULTS
Specialized care
services concentrated in AIDS clusters in the metropolitan area. The Noroeste Cearense and west of the Sertoes Cearenses had high AIDS rates, but a low
number of specialized care services over time. Two of these services were
implemented where clusters of the disease exist in the second period. The
application of the Voronoi diagram showed that the specialized care services
located outside the metropolitan area covered a large territory. We identified
one polygon that had no services.
CONCLUSIONS
The scenario of AIDS
cases spread away from major urban areas demands the creation of social support
services in areas other than the capital and the metropolitan area of the
state; this can reduce access barriers to these institutions. It is necessary to
create specialized care services for HIV/AIDS in the Noroeste Cearenseand
north of Jaguaribe.
Below: Map of the cities and mesoregions of the state of Ceara, according to the 2010 demographic census. Northeastern Brazil, 2014
Below: Geographical distribution of Specialized Care Services (SCS), mean rates (maps 1A and 2A), BoxMap (maps 1B and 2B) and LisaMap (maps 1C and 2C) of the AIDS rates according to the Moran scatter plot, in the state of Ceara, Northeastern Brazil, 2001-2011
Below: Distribution of Specialized Care Services (SCS) and Voronoi polygons. Ceara, Northeastern Brazil, 2001-2011
I Programa de Pós-Graduação em
Enfermagem. Universidade Federal do Ceará. Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
IIPrefeitura Municipal de Fortaleza.
Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
IIIDepartamento de Enfermagem. Faculdade de
Farmácia, Odontologia e Enfermagem. Universidade Federal do Ceará. Fortaleza,
CE, Brasil
IV Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde
Coletiva. Universidade Federal do Ceará. Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
VDepartamento de Saúde Comunitária.
Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade Federal do Ceará. Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
I Programa
de Pós-Graduação em Enfermagem. Universidade Federal do Ceará. Fortaleza, CE,
Brasil
IIPrefeitura
Municipal de Fortaleza. Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
IIIDepartamento
de Enfermagem. Faculdade de Farmácia, Odontologia e Enfermagem. Universidade
Federal do Ceará. Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
IV Programa
de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva. Universidade Federal do Ceará. Fortaleza,
CE, Brasil
VDepartamento
de Saúde Comunitária. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade Federal do Ceará.
Fortaleza, CE, Brasil
Correspondence: Nathália Lima Pedrosa. Rua Alexandre
Baraúna, 1115 Rodolfo Teófilo. 60430-160 Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
E-mail:moc.liamg@cfu.itan