Therapeutic itineraries of quilombola women in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil

Quilombolas are ethnic-racial groups, of black ancestry, and had their territories consolidated in Brazil in regions with difficult access and far from large centers. The objective of this study is to know the therapeutic itinerary (IT) adopted by quilombola women in traditional communities located in the North of the state of Minas Gerais. This is a qualitative study with the theoretical model using the Arthur Kleinman health care system. The study scenario was 23 quilombola communities in northern Minas Gerais. Forty quilombola women aged between 25 and 89 years were interviewed. Data analysis was performed following the IT. Units of analysis emerged that were grouped into three categories: quilombola women and the meaning of health and care; the professional care system in quilombola communities; and route of care in situations experienced by women. The therapeutic itinerary of the communities is mainly related to the actions of popular medicine. It was also possible to observe that there are weaknesses in relation to health care due to factors such as difficulty of access to institutionalized services.

[Common Mental Disorders in rural "quilombolas" in the North of Minas Gerais, Brazil]

The scope of this article is to assess the prevalence and factors associated with Common Mental Disorders (CMD) in "quilombolas" (Afro-Brazilian residents of quilombo settlements) in rural communities located in the North of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is a cross-sectional study of 2019 based on structured interviews and application of a Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Binary logistic regression was conducted. The prevalence of CMD was 38.7%. There was a higher preponderance of CMD among female quilombolas (OR: 2.69; 95%CI 2.00-3.62), with 1 to 8 years of schooling (OR: 1.70; 95%CI 1.15-2,51), family income of 1 to 1,5 minimum wages (OR: 2.51; 95%CI 1.60-3.94); who suffered discrimination in health services (OR: 2.44; 95%CI 1.44-4.13); with self-reported lung disease (OR: 2.10; 95%CI 1.25-3.54), heart disease (OR: 1.58; 95%CI 1.01-2.50) chronic renal failure (OR: 1.97; 95%CI 1.08-3.94), and negative self-perception of health (OR: 3.07; 95%CI 2.31-4.07). The high prevalence of CMD revealed in this study demonstrates the need for mental health care policies aimed at vulnerable populations, such as quilombola communities, in order to mitigate mental suffering and promote professional contextualized care for the idiosyncrasies of health and living conditions of this population group.

Abdominal obesity and associated factors in quilombola communities in Northern Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2019

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the prevalence of abdominal obesity and associated factors in quilombola communities in Northern Minas Gerais, Brazil.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2019 through structured interviews and waist circumference measurement; Poisson regression was used, separated by gender, to calculate prevalence ratios (PR) of abdominal obesity adjusted by independent variables and 95% confidence interval (95%CI).

RESULTS

56.6% (95% CI 50.9;62.0) of the observed quilombolas presented abdominal obesity; in the adjusted analysis, among men, there was an association of the outcome with age ≥60 years old (60-69 years old: PR=2.52 - CI95% 1.33; 4.75), not being a smoker (PR=1.73 - 95%CI 1.17;2.55) and reported arterial hypertension (PR=1.42 - 95%CI 1.11;1.80), while in women, it was associated with age ≥50 years old (50-59 years old: PR=1.25 - 95% CI 1.01;1.54), smoking cessation (PR=1.26 - 95% CI 1.00; 1.58), consumption of chicken with skin (PR=1.09 - 95% CI 1.00;1.19) and hypertension (PR=1.22 - 95% CI 1.11;1.36).

CONCLUSION

There was high prevalence of abdominal obesity among quilombolas. It was higher in the elderly, smokers, former smokers and those with hypertension.