[Analysis of the spatial distribution of the School Health Program from the perspective of the equity principle].

Abstract

It is of fundamental importance that the Basic Health Units (BHU) are distributed equally in relation to educational institutions to increase the possibility of greater effectiveness of the actions of the School Health Program (SHP). The objective of the study was to outline a spatial overview of the implementation of the program in Sergipe, observing whether the principle of equitable distribution of actions was being adhered to. It involved a cross-sectional study in which the municipalities that joined the SHP were surveyed and mapping of BHU and public schools was elaborated, observing the occurrence of equity in their distribution via geolocation; and the mean and median distances between health and education equipment were estimated. The results revealed that 1,436 (84.52%) of public schools were participants in the SHP. The mapping and estimation of distance indicated evidence of inequity of actions in schools located in rural areas and peripheral areas of urban regions. In addition, flaws were detected in the geolocation information of the BHUs throughout the state, which can contribute to non-resolutive decision-making, due to the unrealistic view of the distribution of the BHU.