Differences in disease burden related to condition of maternity among women ages 15-44 in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2004-2006

Abstract

Although maternal mortality is one of the most commonly used indicators for evaluating women’s health, it is inefficient for describing actual health status since it fails to take into account years lived with a given incapacity. To make up for this deficiency, the present article analyzes maternal conditions based on the Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) Indicator used in studies on disease burden. DALY has been considered a broad and accurate indicator of the health status of a population because it incorporates the dimensions of mortality and morbidity simultaneously. The aim of the present study was to estimate and assess the differential of the impact of the burden of maternal-condition-related diseases in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and in the state’s 13 macro health regions between 2004 and 2006, among women in child-bearing age, defined here as being women between ages 15 and. Among other findings, a very high disparity was seen in DALY rates among the different macro-regions of the state. The three poorest macro regions (Jequitinhonha, Northeast, and North of Minas) showed the highest DALY rates, corresponding to 44% of the entire estimated maternal-condition disease burden for Minas Gerais. This indicates how maternal morbidity and mortality are sensitive to income inequities, which, in turn, generate unequal status regarding the distribution of health services.