[Evolution of socioeconomic determinants of health in childhood in the city of São Paulo, Brazil (1984-1996)].
OBJECTIVE
Two consecutive household surveys undertaken in the mid-80s and mid-90s in the city of S. Paulo, Brazil, made possible to establish time trends of several child health determinants and indicators as well as to analyse the relationships among them. The study intends to report trends in socioeconomic determinants of child health.


METHODS
Random samples of the population aged from zero to 59 months were studied: 1,016 children in the period 1984-85 and 1,280 children in 1995-96. Both surveys investigated the family's per capita income and the mother's years of schooling. Nominal incomes were deflated according to the National Consumer Prices Index and expressed as values of October 1997.


RESULTS
From mid-80s to mid-90s average family income doubled and the proportion of low income families was reduced by 50% while average maternal schooling increased by 1.5 years and maternal illiteracy was almost eradicated. Income concentration increased in the period.


CONCLUSIONS
Increases in income and schooling are higher than those reported for the whole population in the country, which may be attributed to selective declines in fertility among the city's poorest families. The influence that changes in family income and maternal schooling may have exerted on several child health indicators is examined in subsequent articles.
Monteiro
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CA
Departamento de Nutrição da Faculdade de Saúde Pública da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. carlosam@usp.br
de Freitas
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IC
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000191:economics*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009035:Mothers; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors