Resumen de Spatial distribution of pulmonary tuberculosis in urban areas: A case from belém, brazil
Marco Aurélio Arbage Lobo, Hermógenes de Carvalho Paiva Neto, Leonardo Augusto Lobato Bello
The precise location of areas with high incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is important to improve public health actions. Official data records of the addresses and neighborhoods where the infected people live allow the mapping of the disease on this spatial scale. However, great socioeconomic diversity often exists inside neighborhoods, wherein high- and low-income families reside. This situation hampers the location of those areas that require close attention. Objective: This study aimed to estimate the risk of pulmonary TB infections in census tracts in Belém City (Brazil) from data on neighborhoods. Methods: A partial least-squares regression model was constructed in the scale of neighborhoods based on the record of addresses of TB-infected people and socioeconomic data from official sources. The model was then slightly modified and used to estimate the risk of TB prevalence in urban census tracts. The results were mapped using a geographical information system. Results: The percentages of explained variance of the set of independent variables and dependent variable were 86.4% and 30.2%, respectively. These values indicated that the model was acceptable for its purpose. Conclusion: The model’s results were consistent with the spatial distribution of socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of Belém City.
