title: [Analysis of maternal and child health indicators: the parallel between Portugal and Brazil].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze comparatively the conditions of birth in Portugal and Brazil from 1975 to 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  Indicators of maternal and child health: rates of maternal death and neonatal mortality, cesarean rate and public spending on health were retrospectively collected from electronic databases of health information from the Unified Health System (DATASUS) and the National Institute of Statistics of Portugal (INE), among others. Their values were descriptively analyzed in terms of trends and the temporal sanitary scenarios were presented and discussed, comparing, when possible, the information from the two countries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Births in Portugal were characterized by lower maternal mortality (12.2 x 76.2/100.000) and neonatal mortality (2.2 x 14.6/1000), compared to Brazil, considering the average of the years from 2004 to 2007. The history of the conquest of maternal and child indicators of excellence in Portugal involved a phase that paralleled the significant socio-economic improvements and the increasing contribution of public health, followed by another from the 1990 s, involving better equipped health care units. In Brazil, rates of maternal and neonatal mortality are declining, but satisfactory values have not yet been achieved. The historical difference in the amount of social spending on health, both in current and historical values, was a crucial difference between countries. Despite the disparities in maternal and neonatal outcomes, cesarean section rates were equally ascendant (34.5% in Portugal and 45.5% in Brazil), considering the average for the period from 2004 to 2007.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The indicators of maternal and neonatal death in Portugal and Brazil have aligned themselves to social, economic and contributions of public investments in health. The increasing rates of caesarean section do not explain the discrepancies in maternal and neonatal outcome between countries.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Zilma Silveira Nogueira
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Altamiro Costa
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Ricardo João Cruz
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.forename: José Alberto Silva
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Antônio Carlos Vieira
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bernardes
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008429:Maternal Welfare; D011174:Portugal; D012189:Retrospective Studies