title: Temporal trends and spatial distribution of unsafe abortion in Brazil, 1996-2012.
abstract: OBJECTIVE To analyze temporal trends and distribution patterns of unsafe abortion in Brazil. METHODS Ecological study based on records of hospital admissions of women due to abortion in Brazil between 1996 and 2012, obtained from the Hospital Information System of the Ministry of Health. We estimated the number of unsafe abortions stratified by place of residence, using indirect estimate techniques. The following indicators were calculated: ratio of unsafe abortions/100 live births and rate of unsafe abortion/1,000 women of childbearing age. We analyzed temporal trends through polynomial regression and spatial distribution using municipalities as the unit of analysis. RESULTS In the study period, a total of 4,007,327 hospital admissions due to abortions were recorded in Brazil. We estimated a total of 16,905,911 unsafe abortions in the country, with an annual mean of 994,465 abortions (mean unsafe abortion rate: 17.0 abortions/1,000 women of childbearing age; ratio of unsafe abortions: 33.2/100 live births). Unsafe abortion presented a declining trend at national level (R2: 94.0%, p < 0.001), with unequal patterns between regions. There was a significant reduction of unsafe abortion in the Northeast (R2: 93.0%, p < 0.001), Southeast (R2: 92.0%, p < 0.001) and Central-West regions (R2: 64.0%, p < 0.001), whereas the North (R2: 39.0%, p = 0.030) presented an increase, and the South (R2: 22.0%, p = 0.340) remained stable. Spatial analysis identified the presence of clusters of municipalities with high values for unsafe abortion, located mainly in states of the North, Northeast and Southeast Regions. CONCLUSIONS Unsafe abortion remains a public health problem in Brazil, with marked regional differences, mainly concentrated in the socioeconomically disadvantaged regions of the country. Qualification of attention to women's health, especially to reproductive aspects and attention to pre- and post-abortion processes, are necessary and urgent strategies to be implemented in the country.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Comunitária, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Francisco Rogerlândio
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Martins-Melo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Comunitária, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Mauricélia da Silveira
authors.initials: Mda S
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Comunitária, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Carlos Henrique
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Alencar
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Comunitária, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Alberto Novaes
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Comunitária, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Francisco Herlânio Costa
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Comunitária, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Márcia Maria Tavares
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Saúde Comunitária, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Jorg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heukelbach
mesh_terms: D000024:Abortion, Illegal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis