title: [Gynecological and obstetrics aspects of patients treated in public and private health services: are there any differences?].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the epidemiological and clinical aspects of gynecological patients seeking care in the private and public health networks.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study we analyzed the records of 243 patients (122 public service patients and 121 private service ones), from January 2007 to January 2008. We excluded records of pregnant patients with vaginal bleeding, history of using vaginal creams or gels at intervals of less than 15 days and patients who had sexual intercourse within less than five days before their visit and with incomplete clinical data. Data were analyzed statistically using the Stata software, version 9.2, with a 5% level of significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the patients attending the public health service was 27±12 years-old and 25.9±10.4 years-old for patients attending the private health service, with no statistical difference between means (F=0.5 and p=0.4). Patients attending the public health service had lower education (p<0.001), they were preferentially housewives (p<0.001), began sexual life early, had a greater number of partners (p<0.001), of pregnancies (p<0.001) and of deliveries (p=0.004), and mainly used the condom as a contraceptive method (p=0.013). There was no statistical difference between groups regarding the history of sexual transmitted diseases, diagnosis of candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, or neoplasia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients attending the public health service have a higher number of pregnancies and births. They are usually housewives with low educational level, their sex life begins early, and they have more partners. However, there was no difference between groups when evaluating breast diseases, gynecological infections, or cancer of the cervix, which suggests that socioeconomic status is not the only element in the determination of the disease and, therefore, other variables should be evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Juliana Barroso
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Zimmermmann
authors.forename: Amanda Carolina Garcia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Nani
authors.forename: Camila Barbosa
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Junqueira
authors.forename: Gabriela Campos de Melo
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Iani
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Souza
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bahia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D017149:Private Sector; D017150:Public Sector; D055815:Young Adult