Olivia Takahashi Margarido

This work presents two essays on the economics of women's health in Brazil. The first one analyzed the associated factors of women's health status in Brazil in 2013, based on Grossman's theoretical model. Specifically, it verified the impact of the prevalence of breast and cervical cancer and the performance of exams to prevent these two diseases on the demand for health capital. Microdata from the National Health Survey of 2013 were used, with the specification of the econometric regression model Ordered Probit. It was found that women's health status tends to improve if they live in the North, Southeast, South and Central West regions, are white, married, have higher income and education levels, work, within weight, have performed cervical and mammography exams in the last 12 months, practice physical exercise, consume alcohol and red meat. On the other hand, health self-assessment worsens if they have been to a medical visit in the last 12 months, have been diagnosed with uterine and breast cancer, smoke, and are older. From the results found, it is considered necessary to formulate public health and social welfare policies specific to the group of women most likely to demand health services. The second essay aimed to analyze the spatial distribution of hospital morbidity of SUS by female breast cancer among the micro-regions of Brazil and its economic and health management determinants in 2013. Therefore, the Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, specification of spatial econometric models and the GWR (Geographically Weighted Regression) model were used. High-high clusters were observed in the Southeast and Center-South of the country and Low-Low clusters in the North and Northeast. Positive association of GDP per capita, mammography and number of primary care consultations, and negative association of number of health professionals, on hospital admissions for breast cancer were observed, with the influence of neighboring regions. Moreover, by the GWR model it was found that GDP per capita, GDP per capita spatially lagged, health professionals, health professionals spatially lagged and primary care spatially lagged have local impact on hospital morbidity due to this neoplasia. The detection of the micro-regions with higher numbers of hospital admissions for breast cancer and its spatial determinants suggests the direction of public policies that minimize this public health problem in the analyzed regions.