Spatial analysis of tuberculosis in children under 15 years of age and socioeconomic risk: an ecological study in Paraíba, Brazil, 2007-2016

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the spatial distribution of tuberculosis in individuals under 15 years old and the socioeconomic factors in Paraíba, Brazil, 2007-2016. Methods: Ecological study, with Sinan’s data, considering the municipality as the unit of analysis. The spatial distribution of the incidence was performed, the local empirical Bayesian method and Moran's statistics were applied. Socioeconomic data were crossed to identify areas of social prosperity. Results: 426 cases were reported, with an average incidence of 4.5/100 thousand inhabitants. Moran's index = 0.59 (p=0.010). The Moran Map revealed a concentration of cases in children under 15 in 38 municipalities with a high priority of care, in conglomerates in the high-high and low-low patterns, in the east and northwest of the state, coincided with areas of low social prosperity. Conclusion: There are clusters with greater transmission of tuberculosis, indicating priority areas for approaching tuberculosis.