Importance of the Education Program for Health At Work (PET-Health) for Reduction of Infant Mortality in a Brazilian City

Infant mortality is an important problem in developing countries. In the period from 2000 to 2006, the under-five mortality rate decreased from 24.7 to 19.3 per 1000 live births. Despite this improvement, however, mortality rates are still high by international standards and there is a significant disparity of rates across Brazilian regions. The rate in the Northeast is twice the Brazilian average, and that is four times higher than the rates in developed countries.

Identification of possible socioeconomic factors behind the infant mortality rate might shed some light on the differences in the rates between Brazilian regions, and might help explain why infant mortality has fallen faster in some than others. With the aim of changing the high mortality levels in northeast’s arid region, the Educational Program for Health Work (PET-Health) developed educational activities with the aim of reducing mortality by preventing actions which focus on an integrated treatment of child and its own family.

With lectures directed to community and community health agents it is possible to encourage mothers to exclusive breast-feeding up to at least 6 months of age, guidance on oral health and hygiene and importance of immunization, for reducing morbimortality rates by immunepreventable diseases as polioviruses, hepatitis B, measles and others.

As we develop actions related to both mother-son is a comprehensive approach to care giving, to involve them in all the attention to the child, surrounding it with information about the care and health problems that may  occur.

It should further strengthen the importance of medical students’ participation and other courses in these activities, because in addition to having more training in primary care, they will be prepared to deal with the most prevalent diseases, improving the quality and outcomes of primary care.