Distribution of indicators for chronic non-communicable diseases in adult women beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program — Vigitel 2016–2019

ABSTRACT: Objective: To compare the prevalence of and trend in risk and protective factors for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among women beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of Bolsa Família from 2016 to 2019. Methods: This is a cross-sectional time-series study. We estimated the prevalence and prevalence ratios, both crude and adjusted for age and schooling, of NCD indicators with their respective confidence intervals, using the Poisson regression model. A time-trend analysis was also performed employing a simple linear regression model, regarding the indicators as the outcome variable and the year of the survey as the explanatory variable. Results: Women beneficiaries were more exposed to risk factors for NCDs compared to non-beneficiaries. Prevalence ratios adjusted for smokers were 1.15 (1.07 – 1.24), for overweight were 1.08 (1.03 – 1.14), and for obesity were 1.09 (1.04 – 1.14), while the recommended fruit and vegetable consumption was 0.93 (0.87 – 0.99); they also showed lower practice of leisure-time physical activities (0.88; 0.82 – 0.93), spent more time watching TV (1.08; 1.02 – 1.13), had worse self-rated health status (1.12; 1.04 – 1.21), and lower rates of mammography (0.80; 0.71 – 0.90) and pap smear (0.93; 0.88 – 0.98). Among the beneficiaries, the trend analysis showed an increased prevalence of overweight, from 55.9 to 62.6%, and screen time except for TV, from 13.5 to 27.8%. Conclusion: NCD risk factors were higher among women beneficiaries of Bolsa Família, indicating the importance of maintaining affirmative policies for this vulnerable population.