ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of prenatal care on the reduction of maternal-child mortality in Brazilian municipalities following the new primary health care financing model, the Previne Brasil program. METHODS: This study comprised a nationwide cross-sectional observational analysis, utilizing secondary data from Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde (Datasus – Information Technology Department of the Unified Health System), Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade (SIM – Mortality Information System), Sistema de Informação sobre Nascidos Vivos (Sinasc – Live […]

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of auricular acupuncture in reducing insomnia symptoms among individuals with depression compared with non-specific auricular acupuncture, at four weeks, six weeks, and three months after the intervention began. METHODS: A randomized, blinded clinical trial assessed sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in 74 adults equally divided into two groups: specific auricular acupuncture and non-specific auricular acupuncture. Both groups underwent 12 auricular acupuncture sessions performed twice a week. RESULTS: After three months, the […]

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To evaluate quality of life, sarcopenia and proteinuria, six and 12 months after infection with mild and moderate COVID-19. METHODS: We evaluated 253 individuals with mild (n = 119) and moderate (n = 134) clinical presentation for COVID-19 (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction—RT-PCR) after six (T6) and 12 (T12) months from the date of acute infection (T0). Quality of life, pain, risk for sarcopenia, muscle strength and proteinuria were assessed by the Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36) questionnaire; […]

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To characterize retractions of biomedical research papers that had a least one author affiliated with a Latin American (LATAM) institution. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of retracted research papers published in scientific journals focusing on the field of biomedical research and identified by means of the Retraction Watch database. The retracted articles identified were required to have at least one author whose institutional affiliation was in a LATAM country. Data were collected on the authors’ countries and […]

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity (FI) among families living in rural and urban areas of Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional and descriptive study based on the analysis of two nationally representative surveys conducted using probabilistic sampling by clusters in urban and rural areas of Brazil (2020 and 2022). FI was measured using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. The households were classified as food secure, mild FI, or moderate/severe FI. Prevalence and 95% confidence intervals […]

In The protein deficit myth, with DOI number https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2025059006669, published in the journal Revista de Saúde Pública, v. 59, e21 on page 5, Where it reads: […]

The World Health Organization’s theme for World Health Day, observed on April 7, 2025, was “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures.” This initiative called on governments and the global health community to prioritize the reduction of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths. Beyond mortality reduction, the theme emphasized a broader concept of health, focusing on promoting the well-being of women and their infants to ensure a hopeful and prosperous future for both. A sharp decline in fertility rates has been observed among Brazilian […]

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between age extremes and maternal and perinatal outcomes in births in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS: Data from the Birth in Brazil II: National Survey on Abortion, Delivery, and Birth (2021–2023) were used. A total of 1,734 postpartum women were included, with live or stillborn newborns, interviewed in the immediate postpartum period. Information was obtained from interviews, clinical records, and prenatal cards. Multiple logistic regression was carried out to evaluate associations […]

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To estimate the use and adequacy of prenatal care services and to verify the structure of the maternity hospital to meet the needs of health care during childbirth in the Brazilian Unified Health System. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, hospital-based study conducted in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1,073 puerperae were eligible, whose delivery took place in public and mixed hospitals. The interviews were conducted in the hospital, and data were extracted from the prenatal card […]

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To describe the care for labor and delivery in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to hospital location and type of funding for delivery, and to verify the social, geographic, and care factors associated with going into labor and having a vaginal delivery. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional hospital-based study (“Birth in Brazil Research II: national survey on abortion, delivery, and birth”) conducted in 29 hospitals located in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Women with […]