Spatial distribution for diarrhea hospitalization in São Paulo State

Objectives: to identify spatial pattern on hospitalization rates of children with diarrhea in the counties in São Paulo State. Methods: ecological and exploratory study on hospitalized data of children with diarrhea under the age of four in 2008 and 2012, the IDH mothers with low schooling level and children living with a low income less than half minimum wage were obtained from Datasus and inserted into digital map of the counties in São Paulo State. Moran’s global index (I) and Pearson’s coefficients correlation and thematic maps of hospitalization rates of 1,000 children, Moran maps and kernel map were calculated. Results: there were 34, 802 hospital admissions, with an average rate of 4.7 hospitalizations / 1,000 children (SD=7.2). Hospitalization rates were correlated only with schooling (r= 0.09, p<0.05). Moran's index for hospitalization rate was I=0.31(p<0.01). The thematic map of the hospital admission rates showed a cluster of counties in the west of the State; the kernel map showed a higher density of hospitalization in this region and the Moran map identified 57 counties which deserve attention. Conclusions: the results provide subsidies for the counties and regional managers to implement measurements aiming to reduce these rates.