Inequalities in the use of health services in a municipality in Southern Brazil in 2019: a cross-sectional study

Objective: to assess inequalities in the use of health services in a municipality in Southern Brazil. Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional study conducted with adults living in the urban area of the municipality of Crici??ma, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, between March and December, 2079; the research outcomes were medical consultation, dental visit, nutritional counseling and the use of the Brazilian National Health System (Sistema ??nico de Sa??de ??? SUS); the exposures were age, schooling and income; inequalities were analyzed using the Slope index of inequality and equiplots. Results: A total of 820 individuals were studied; medical consultation was higher (74.2 percentage points [p.p.]), and dental visit was lower (-29.5 p.p.), in older adults, when compared to young people; dental visit (47.7 p.p.) and nutritional counseling (78.0 p.p.) were higher in individuals with higher level of education, when compared to those with lower level of education; the use of SUS was higher in older adults (27.3 p.p.), with lower level of education (-67.2 p.p.) and lower income (-57.6 p.p.), when compared to their peers. Conclusion: in order to develop public policies, these inequalities should be taken into consideration.