The influence of the Family Healthcare Strategy in the use of healthcare services by children in Brazil: an analysis using the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method of National Health Survey data

The scope of this study was to establish the influence of the Family Healthcare Strategy (FHS) in the use of health services for Brazilian children under 5 years of age interviewed in the 2013 National Health Survey (NHS). The Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method was used to correct the lack of comparability between the groups of children under scrutiny. The PSM was estimated by logistic regression and reflects the conditional probability of receiving registration in the FHS given a set of covariates that depict the socioeconomic, demographic, sanitary and health aspects of children and families who comprise same. The prevalence of medical visits and hospitalizations were estimated and incorporate the effects of the complex sample of NHS on all phases of analysis. It was found that children living in households with FHS coverage have worse socioeconomic, sanitary and health conditions, although they had options of medical appointments and hospitalizations close to the children without this healthcare link. The data suggest that the FHS can correct individual and contextual inequalities that impact the health of Brazilians by promoting the use of health services for children even when they have worse living and health conditions.