Espaços de pobreza e mobilidade urbana: os deslocamentos da população de baixa renda em Natal/RN

This dissertation is an attempt to understand how families with an income of up to three minimum wages and living in different Areas of Demographic Expansion (AEDs) of Natal municipality specifically in the districts of Igapó and Salinas (North Administrative Zone of the city), Ponta Negra (South Administrative Zone), Santos Reis, Praia do Meio, Areia Preta and Mãe Luíza (East Administrative Zone) and Felipe Camarão (West Administrative Zone) solve their problems of urban mobility. It is, therefore, a reflection upon the mobility needs of poor urban households as expressed in terms of origin-destiny displacements for specific movements (house-work, house-school, house-shopping, house-healthcare and house-leisure), all of which being analyzed within the relationship between public transportation and poverty spaces of the city. In order to develop the study, theoretical aspects and themes related to the production of the urban space, to social and spatial segregation, to urban mobility and to transportation were confronted with the collected data referring to the urban population previously selected. One of the research main findings is the crucial role mobility plays in the social differentiation of such people living in Natal and that any policy for the improvement of their living conditions must take mobility issues into account

Desinfecção solar de água para comunidades de baixa renda

The use of solar energy for water disinfection, and is accessible to disadvantaged communities because of its low cost, has the advantage of using disposable materials such as bottles of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). We present a study that used two methods of disinfection: the methodology proposed by the project Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS), which consisted of water disinfection by solar radiation and temperature and the methodology which the temperature of the water for disinfection. In both, we seek to eliminate microorganisms that cause serious diseases such as dysentery, typhoid, cholera, etc. Water samples were collected in the community of Bass, where the population has low income and the incidence of waterborne diseases is high. The experiments were divided into two stages. In step 1 we studied the feasibility of disinfection and in step 2 the feasibility of the pilot plant to obtain adequate levels of disinfection temperatures desired. The results showed the efficiency of the disinfection process, reaching an average of 80 to 100% death of microorganisms, but regrowth was observed in some samples. Finally on the good results of stage 1, is designed and built and tested in an experimental pilot plant, which has shown to be feasible to promote water disinfection through the use of solar energy. The water after treatment is in accordance with the limits established by Brazilian legislation for clean water, maintaining a positive performance for the disinfection and acceptable levels of bacterial regrowth

Seleção conjugal e as mulheres re-casadas no mercado de casamentos em uma comunidade de baixa renda no nordeste brasileiro

A presente pesquisa partiu de uma revisão teórica dos assuntos relacionados à seleção sexual proposta por Charles Darwin, passando para evolução dos sistemas e da psicologia do acasalamento humano. Os estudos práticos, divididos em dois momentos, foram coletados numa comunidade litorânea de baixa renda no nordeste brasileiro, na qual as mulheres tiveram pelo menos duas uniões estáveis até a data da coleta, no ano de 2008. Nas primeiras análises, foram contempladas as expectativas dessas mulheres em relação aos atributos dos parceiros. E posteriormente, o perfil e valor das mesmas entraram em perspectiva. De uma forma geral, foi constatado que as mulheres, no primeiro casamento, de fato realizam matrimônios com parceiros mais parecidos com o que consideram ideal do que os posteriores. Assim como as segundas e subseqüentes uniões apresentam uma ligeira queda no valor (no mercado de casamentos) desses homens quando comparados aos primeiros companheiros levando em consideração indicadores biosocioeconômicos como idade, escolaridade e renda (status socioeconômico).

Espaços de pobreza e mobilidade urbana: os deslocamentos da população de baixa renda em Natal/RN

This dissertation is an attempt to understand how families with an income of up to three minimum wages and living in different Areas of Demographic Expansion (AEDs) of Natal municipality specifically in the districts of Igapó and Salinas (North Administrative Zone of the city), Ponta Negra (South Administrative Zone), Santos Reis, Praia do Meio, Areia Preta and Mãe Luíza (East Administrative Zone) and Felipe Camarão (West Administrative Zone) solve their problems of urban mobility. It is, therefore, a reflection upon the mobility needs of poor urban households as expressed in terms of origin-destiny displacements for specific movements (house-work, house-school, house-shopping, house-healthcare and house-leisure), all of which being analyzed within the relationship between public transportation and poverty spaces of the city. In order to develop the study, theoretical aspects and themes related to the production of the urban space, to social and spatial segregation, to urban mobility and to transportation were confronted with the collected data referring to the urban population previously selected. One of the research main findings is the crucial role mobility plays in the social differentiation of such people living in Natal and that any policy for the improvement of their living conditions must take mobility issues into account

O argumento de inclusão enquanto política de acesso à universidade pública

There are a great number of evidences showing that education is extremely important in many economic and social dimensions. In Brazil, education is a right guaranteed by the Federal Constitution; however, in the Brazilian legislation the right to the three stages of basic education: Kindergarten, Elementary and High School is better promoted and supported than the right to education at College level. According to educational census data (INEP, 2009), 78% of all enrolments in College education are in private schools, while the reverse is found in High School: 84% of all matriculations are in public schools, which shows a contradiction in the admission into the universities. The Brazilian scenario presents that public universities receive mostly students who performed better and were prepared in elementary and high school education in private schools, while private universities attend students who received their basic education in public schools, which are characterized as low quality. These facts have led researchers to raise the possible determinants of student performance on standardized tests, such as the Brazilian Vestibular exam, to guide the development of policies aimed at equal access to College education. Seeking inspiration in North American models of affirmative action policies, some Brazilian public universities have suggested rate policies to enable and facilitate the entry of "minorities" (blacks, pardos1, natives, people of low income and public school students) to free College education. At the Federal University of the state Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), the first incentives for candidates from public schools emerged in 2006, being improved and widespread during the last 7 years. This study aimed to analyse and discuss the Argument of Inclution (AI) - the affirmative action policy that provides additional scoring for students from public schools. From an extensive database, the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) technique was used as well as a Quantile Regression considering as control the variables of personal, socioeconomic and educational characteristics of the candidates from the Brazilian Vestibular exam 2010 of the Federal University of the state Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). The results demonstrate the importance of this incentive system, besides the magnitude of other variables

Cooperativa habitacional autofinanciável :uma alternativa de mercado à escassez de financiamento

As an example of what happened in Brazil in the 90s, it s noticed in Natal a new system of cooperative housing production which is done by advancing the users resources selffinancing. This system comes as an alternative for the real state market performance since the end of the National Housing Bank (BNH), in 1986. Self-financed housing cooperatives play an important social role by contributing to own housing acquisition by low-income population, without, however, becoming a mechanism of social interest housing production. It is important to consider that Brazil registers a housing deficit of 6.6 million housing units (IBGE 2000/Census), which, compared to 1991, shows an increment of 21.7% to a growth rate of 2.2% a year. This deficit figure has been deepening, mainly with the end of the National Housing Bank (BNH). The self-financed cooperative housing production broadens around the Metropolitan Region of Natal (RMN) and remains as an alternative to the lack of financing in the housing / real state market. In general, the aim of this work is to analyze the role of self-financing housing cooperatives on the housing production in the RMN, in order to identify their role in the real state market, in the own housing promotion and in the housing policy. The Universe of this study is performance of four housing cooperatives - CHAF-RN, COOPHAB-RN, MULTHCOOP e CNH - that work through self-financing. It is considered here an amount of 38 undertakings launched between 1993 and 2002, including 8143 housing units. The methodology adopted consists of bibliographic, documental and field research. As a result, actions like brokerage, marketing, speculation, and the criteria to define places for undertakings and final products, show how close they are to the housing market production. As a matter of fact, this short distance explains why the self-financed cooperative production for social interest housing is still limited. This reinforces the theory that it is necessary to define and implement a subsidized housing policy to serve the low-income Brazilian population

Do acesso clássico à comercialização: especificidades do mercado imobiliário informal na área especial de interesse social de Mãe Luiza, Natal/ RN.

This study presents research regarding affordable housing and their effects on the spatial reconfiguration of Natal/ RN, aiming to identify the specificities of the informality of urban land. This study aims to understand how informal housing market operates housing provision for the population located in popular informal settlements, through buying and selling market and rental market of residential properties irregular / illegal. This understanding will be through the neighborhood of Mãe Luisa, Special Area of Social Interest (SASI), located between neighborhoods with a population of high purchasing power and inserted into the tourist shaft of seaside of town. The characterization of informal housing market in Mãe Luiza, from buyers, sellers and renters, will help to understand how these informal transactions operate on SASI and housing provision for public policy development and implementation of housing programs and land regularization for low-income population, adequate to dynamic and reality of housing of informal areas

Prevalência da infecção por papilomavírus humano, herpes simplex tipo 1 e 2 e Chlamydia trachomatis em um segmento da população feminina da grande Natal/RN

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are among the largest public health problems, especially in developing countries. The acquisition of these infections during early sexual activity is common and many infections have a benign course. However, in some pathogens remain in the state of latency can be reactivated and cause productive infection that may progress to severe forms. In addition, some of them are transmitted vertically resulting in congenital infection, causing immediate damage or long-term child. The classic risk factors for sexually transmitted agents are: early onset of sexual and reproductive health, multiple sexual partners throughout life, use of oral contraceptives and co-infections with different pathogens. We present the results of a cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of genital infection by human papillomavirus (HPV), Herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) in a segment of the female population of the metropolitan area Christmas, among those who enrolled voluntarily sought, Basic Health Units for the examination of cancer screening cervix in the period 2008 to 2010. All participants, a total of 261 women answered a standard questionnaire by which identified the socio-demographic characteristics, classical risk factors for STDs, reproductive and sexual activity and smoking. Of each patient were obtained two samples, one for the completion of the Pap test for detection of cellular changes and the other processed for DNA extraction and analyzed by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to detect the three pathogens studied. The population of the study was composed of sexually active women aged between 13 and 79 years, mean 38.7 years, most of them being married, low education levels and low incomes. The majority (87%) had normal results on cytology and only 2.7% had low-grade cytological abnormalities. Prevalence rates were 37.9% for HPV, 4.6% for CT and 26% for HSV. HPV prevalence was higher in women under 25, unmarried and in those who had multiple sexual partners. Women with simultaneous infection by HSV-1 and 2 had higher prevalence of HPV infection. The prevalence of HSV infection showed no association whatsoever with the risk factors analyzed and HSV-1 was the predominant type among the cases of genital HSV infection. The overall prevalence of C. Trachomatis was relatively low, thus providing greater value in younger women aged less than or equal to 20 years

Associação entre as narrativas em saúde bucal e condições socioeconômico-culturais: a dentição como reflexo da desigualdade social

This anthropological study investigates the lived-experience of oral diseases in the context of poverty in Northeast Brazil. During six months in 2004???, ethnographic interviews, narratives and participant-observation with 31 residents of the low-income community, Dendê, located in Fortaleza, Ceará were conducted and analyzed utilizing a hermeneutic-dialetic method. It is revealed that precarious life conditions make prioritizing caretaking a difficult task. Despite suffering tooth pain, seeking a dentist's care is perceived as "a luxury" not a citzens' right. Difficulties in accessing services and poor quality restorations, favor tooth extractions as the most effective intervention. The deterioration of one's oral health is lamented by community members who seek help from popular clinics, politicians and traditional healers. The experience of dental disease differs according to social class, leaves oral scars of inequity, harms self-esteem and inhibits social inclusion. In this context, "treating" the Teeth of Inequity demands that we deepen our comprehension of the social determinants of health, reduce injustice in the access to quality care, remove demoralizing stigmas and empower the community to confront structural forces which affect its life

Apitidão funcional e comportamentos relacionados à saúde em mulheres idosas do município de Jequié-BA

The identification of the factors that interfere in the decline of functional conditions is useful in the planning of actions addressing the improvement in the conditions of the lives of elderly people. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the relationship between social demographics and health aspects of the functional condition in elderly women of low income of the Brazilian northeast. This crosssectional study involved a representative sample of 222 women with an average age of 70 years (± 7.1), belonging to coexisting groups and that were resident in the urban area of the municipal district of Jequié /Bahia. In order to achieve this objective, a battery of physical tests of functional aptitude was carried out previously tested in pilot study, anthropometric measurements collected with a comparison of the measures referred to the reported weight and height as well as the application of an interview with questions containing subjects related to social demographic variables, clinical conditions and health, physical conditions and behaviors. Descriptive statistics Proceedings (frequency, average, standard deviation and percent distribution) were used for statistic analysis, and the calculation of the respective odds ratio by binary logistics regression, for the analysis of factors hierarchically grouped; p<0.05. The prevalence of 56% (n=122) of women considered with moderated or serious type of functional limitations was found, In which from multi-varied hierarchical analysis, significant association was verified with the age group over 80 years (p=0.02), conditions of widowhood (p=0.04), presence of arterial hypertension (p=0.001), and physical inactivity during leisure time (p=0.03). On the other hand for functional incapacities the prevalence was of 46.8% (n=104) being associated to the increase of the age (p=0.01), hospitalization (p=0.02), absence of physical activities along their lives (p=0.001) and the occurrence of alterations in the cognitive function (p=0.001). The normative table for the parameters of physical fitness generated conducive to health professionals in the diagnosis of health conditions and the prescription of physical exercises. The identified characteristics that are associated with the functional limitations / functional incapacities suggest a complex causal net in the determination of the functional condition in elderly women. However, actions addressed to the incentive of the practice of physical activities in the leisure time and the preservation of the cognitive function can contribute to a life with more quality for these people. This research was multidisciplinary approach to involve elements of psychology, nutrition and Physical Education in the elucidation of the object of study related to the functional condition of elderly women

Determinantes socioeconômicos e ambientais do declínio das hospitalizações por diarréias em lactentes no Rio Grande do Norte - 1992 a 2001

There was a significant decline in hospitalizations for acute diarrhea in children younger than 1 year of age in Brazil between 1992 to 2001. The less economically developed state of Rio Grande do Norte is a case example of the national trend. In this work, we show a significant association between improvements in socioeconomic variables as well as increased access to sanitation and the decreased rate of hospitalization. Additionally, we observed a positive, seasonal correlation between rainfall and hospitalizations. Most notably, however, we show that improvements in income and inflation were positively correlated with a decline in hospitalizations. Improvements in public health infrastructure, socioeconomic variables like education and literacy, and increased investment in health services were important in reducing severe early childhood diarrheas. However, the data suggests that increased buying power and reductions in poverty played an equally crucial role in reducing hospitalizations for acute diarrhea in infants in Brazil. The work includes elements of the demography of the period for the age groups involved, children under one year, women in fertile age and fertility rate

Níveis de homocisteína e desempenho cognitivo em uma amostra populacional de idosos da cidade do Natal-RN

The imprecision of the frontier that separates those cognitive deficits inherent to the human physiological aging process from those which represent the early signs of nervous system degenerative pathologies ,very prevalent among the elderly, has brought attention to the need of studies aiming to establish clinical and/or laboratorial criteria to allow this differentiation. Elderly people living in poor and developing countries are frequently exposed to precarious socioeconomic conditions which facilitate the development of an array of pathologies which have metabolic and nutritional dysfunctions as the established or proposed etiological agents. The levels of certain micronutrients, such as the vitamins B12 and B9 (folic acid), and of some intermediary metabolites, such as homocysteine are being thought of as etiological factors and/or as biological markers of a group of alterations which affect the normal functioning of the nervous system with important reflexes upon cognitive performance. This study aims to investigate the influence of homocysteine, B12 vitamin and folic acid levels on the cognitive performance of the low income elderly population. This transversal study took place in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, and involved 205 dwelling elderly people, users of the Programa de Saúde da Família, a public healthcare program, maintained by the city s health authorities. A multidimensional questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic aspects and the overall health and nutrition conditions. The cognitive performance was measured by the use of the Portuguese version of the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE). The serum levels of homocysteine, B12 vitamin and folic acid were determined by chemiluminescence. The association between the socio-demographic and serum levels of Hcy, B12 vitamin and folic acid was determined by multiple linear regression. Serum levels higher than 13.5 μmol/l, indicative of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), were found on 25.4% of the sample, being more prevalent in men (p<0.05). Deficitary levels of folic acid (<5ng/mol) and of B12 vitamin (<193 pg/ml) were found on 3.9% and 10.2% of the sample respectively. A negative correlation was found between cognitive performance with both age and HHcy and a positive correlation was found between cognitive performance and schooling. The isolated HHcy R2 values were an explanation to only 4% of the variance of the MMSE scores. However, when associated with schooling and age, this model explains about 25% of this association

Síndrome metabólica e risco cardiovascular na pós- menopausa: avaliação por diferentes critérios diagnósticos e influência de fatores sócio-econômicos

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) involves a group of risk factors and is associated with a significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have shown the importance of preventing CVD through early diagnosis and treatment of patients with MetS. The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of MetS by different diagnostic criteria in postmenopausal women and analyze the influence of socioeconomic factors on cardiovascular risk in this sample of the population. A cross-sectional study involving 127 postmenopausal women (45 to 64 years) from Natal and Mossoró, Brazil. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. The experimental protocol consisted of applying structured interview, clinical examination and implementation of dosages blood. The diagnosis of MetS was based on NCEP-ATP III (National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III) and IDF (International Diabetes Federation) criteria. The research was accomplished with the participation of an interdisciplinary team in their several phases. The result of the sample studied had mean age of 53.9 ± 4.6 years and per capita income of 54.5 dollars. The prevalence of MetS, according to NCEP-ATP III and IDF criteria, was 52.8% and 61.4$, respectively. The agreement rate between NCEP-ATP III and IDF criteria was 81.9%, with a kappa value of 0.63 (CI 95%, 0.49-0.76), indicating good agreement between the two definitions. The most prevalent cardiovascular risk factor was HDL < 50 mg/dl, observed in 96.1% of the women analyzed, followed by increased waist circumference (≥ 80 cm) in 78.0%, elevated blood pressure in 51.2%, triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dl in 40.9% and glycemia ≥ 100 mg/dl in 37.0% of the women. The occurrence of MetS was significantly associated with schooling and body mass index (BMI). High blood pressure was significantly associated with low family income, low schooling and weight gain. There was no significant association between the intensity of climacteric symptomatology and the occurrence of MetS. The conclusions of the research were that MetS and its individual components show a high prevalence in postmenopausal Brazilian women, and significant associations with weight gain and low socioeconomic indicators. The data point to the need for an interdisciplinary approach at the basic health care level, directed toward the early identification of risk factors and the promotion of cardiovascular health of climacteric women.

Cultura e consumo: o fluxo dos bens

It is an ethnographic work that has an objective of verifying devices throngh the residents of a low income suburban area, and the way they deal with their social relations through sonsumerism (and the aspiration connected to it), the symbolic character acquired through consumer goods, understood as one of the fundamental components for the comprehension of the web as relations that established, Though consumerism, individuais will reveal ways of communication, of the status, of creating new forms of action and identification. Using the principal that believes in a web of symbolic significance where own individuais develop their impressions, as a resource to look at their own bodies, a social order (yet unstable), and the process of inclusion in a broader society. In conclusion, the act of consuming is more than a perspective that establishes statistics on consumer goods, with their ways of production, circulation and economic functioning: it is also a way of perceiving a collection mapped by consumers individually and socially, and by those means organizing, classifying and identifyring the social world

Quem tem direito à moradia? :uma análise da política nacional de habitação e dos programas de habitação de interesse social (2003-2005)

This dissertation analyses the Brazilian housing policy of today s, focusing on the programmes in the socalled Social Interest Housing Subsystem in order to discuss to what extent the government has been able to grant housing constitutional rights in the country. The discussion is about housing policy and the principles in the country s Constitution regarding the role of housing as a social right, a right that must be granted by the state. This refers to land rent theory to understand the relationship between capital and property and the reasons why, under capitalism, housing becomes a commodity in the market. Then, it discusses the national housing policy, which emphasizes land ownership through financing, that is, via market, a process that excludes all low income population. In the conclusion, it is clear that, although government programmes cover extensively at least potentially the national territory as well as social group, subsidized housing programmes cannot be implemented in the city due to land prices because subsidy is too low. In this way, the law that grants housing rights to all Brazilian citizens is violated