Problems with accessibility to health services by persons with disabilities in São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Purpose. To describe the occurrence of self-reported problems of accessibility to health services used by persons with disabilities in terms of social and health services variables.

Methods. We performed a cross-sectional household survey designed to assess problems with accessibility to health services faced by persons with disabilities. We interviewed 333 persons in São Paulo city, in 2007. Variables related to the presence of accessibility problems, disabilities, gender, age, family head income, ethnicity, use of health services and others were analysed using frequencies, percentages, χ²-test, ANOVA and Poisson regression models.

Results. 15.92%% of the interviewed persons reported problems with accessibility to health services. Persons having multiple (prevalence ratios; PR  ==  2.91) or mobility disability (PR  ==  6.46) had more problems with accessibility than persons with hearing disability. Persons younger than 78 years old had more problems with accessibility; those who needed help to go to the health service (PR  ==  3.01) also.

Conclusions. Persons with multiple or mobility disability, younger than 78 years, and those who needed help of others to go to the health service were more likely to have problems with accessibility to health services. This information could be one of the first steps to the management and/or planning of appropriate health services for persons with disabilities.

Keywords:

• ICF
• health service
• Brazil

Notes

1. www.fsp.usp.br/isa-sp.

2. Help to bath and dress, to eat, to rise up and/or to walk.

3. The search was performed on 25 January 2010, in two scientific databases:

• SciELO – Scientific Eletronic Library Online (http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script  ==  sci__home&lng==pt&nrm ==iso

• PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez) The following keywords were used: ‘persons with disabilities’ and ‘health services’ and ‘accessibility’ and ‘Brazil’.