Family Health Strategy, Primary Health Care, and Social Inequalities in Mortality Among Older Adults in Bage, Southern Brazil

Objectives. To investigate the role of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) in reducing social inequalities in mortality over a 9-year follow-up period. Methods. We carried out a population-based cohort study of individuals aged 60 years and older from the city of Bage, Brazil. Of 1593 participants at baseline (2008), 1314 (82.5%) were included in this 9-year follow-up (2017). We assessed type of primary health care (PHC) coverage and other variables at baseline. In 2017, we ascertained 579 deaths through mortality registers. Hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals modeled time to death estimated by Cox regression. We also tested the effect modification between PHC and wealth. Results. The FHS had a protective effect on mortality among individuals aged 60 to 64 years, a result not found among those not covered by the FHS. Interaction analysis showed that the FHS modified the effect of wealth on mortality. The FHS protected the poorest from all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.36, 0.96) and avoidable mortality (HR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.25, 0.85). Conclusions. FHS coverage reduced social inequalities in mortality among older adults. Our findings highlight the need to guarantee universal health coverage in Brazil by expanding and strengthening the FHS to promote health equity.