Background: Brazil is the destination of many international migrants and refugees and, given the circumstances of their entry into the country, many face difficulties due to the absence of targeted policies. Thus, the objective of this study was to survey the social impact of COVID-19 on international migrants and refugees regarding income loss, food insecurity and other social inequities, and to identify explanatory factors on these aspects. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, analytical study. We used a validated instrument applied by trained interviewers. Descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression were performed to identify factors associated with income loss and food insecurity. Results: A total of 360 individuals from sub-Saharan African and South American countries participated in the study. Individuals who were white, black/brown, yellow, had an occupation/employment, and earned less than one minimum wage were more likely to lose income. Those who reported no income, received less than one minimum wage, and were diagnosed with COVID-19 were more likely to be food insecure. Conclusions: The study advances knowledge by identifying factors associated with income loss, food insecurity, and individuals' difficulty in accessing health services and social support measures in Brazil.

Background: Brazil’s Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde—SUS) has played a crucial role in reducing health disparities by providing universal and free healthcare to a diverse population. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant barriers to healthcare access among vulnerable groups, particularly due to the intersection of multiple vulnerabilities. This study aimed to examine how intersectionality—specifically sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and education level—has influenced inequalities in healthcare service utilization among vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Methods: This cross-sectional study is part of the “COVID-19 Social Thermometer in Brazil” project, conducted between May 2022 and October 2023 in Brazil’s state capitals and the Federal District, focusing on populations considered socially vulnerable during the pandemic. Participants were selected using sequential sampling and completed a structured questionnaire. Statistical analyses—performed using Excel, RStudio (version 4.3.2), and ArcGIS—included sociodemographic profiling, the construction of the Jeopardy Index (a measure of social vulnerability), and binary logistic regression to explore associations between Jeopardy Index and healthcare service utilization. Results: 3406 participants, the majority were men (60%), aged 30 to 59 years (65.1%), and identified as Black or Brown (72.2%). Most participants were concentrated in the Northeast (26.6%) and North (22.3%) macroregions. A high reliance on public healthcare services (SUS) was observed, particularly in the Southeast (96%). According to the Jeopardy Index, the most socially vulnerable groups—such as women, transgender individuals, Black people, and those with no formal education—were significantly more likely to rely on SUS (OR = 3.14; 95% CI: 1.34–7.35) and less likely to use private healthcare (OR = 0.07; 95% CI: 0.02–0.20), reflecting a 214% higher likelihood of SUS use and a 93% lower likelihood of private service utilization compared to the most privileged group. Conclusions: Our findings reveal that individuals experiencing intersecting social vulnerabilities face marked inequalities in healthcare access. Without SUS, these populations would likely have been excluded from essential care. Strengthening SUS and implementing inclusive public policies are critical to reducing disparities and ensuring equitable healthcare access for historically marginalized groups.

Objective: to assess the level of trust in health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study, carried out between 2020 and 2021, among Brazilians over 18. Nonprobabilistic sampling was used. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied, using the local bivariate Moran’s technique to verify the existence of spatial dependence between the incidence and mortality of COVID-19 and trust in health services. Furthermore, multinomial regression was also used to analyze the factors associated with the confidence level, with the calculation of the odds ratio and with a confidence interval of 95%. Results: A total of 50.6% reported trust in hospital services, while 41.4% did not trust primary health care services. With the application of the local bivariate Moran, both for the incidence and mortality of COVID-19, the trust in tertiary care and primary care services showed a statistically significant spatial association predominant in the Midwest (high–low) and North (low–high) regions of Brazil. The level of trust was associated with education, religion, region of the country and income. Conclusions: The level of trust in hospital services, more than primary health care services, may be related to the population’s culture of prioritizing the search for hospital care at the detriment of health promotion and disease prevention.

Objetivo: analisar os fatores associados à concordância com a flexibilização das medidas de proteção no Brasil durante a pandemia pela COVID-19. Método: estudo transversal, com dados de uma web survey realizada com adultos residentes no Brasil, entre agosto de 2020 e fevereiro de 2021. Resultados: dos 1.516 respondentes, a maioria possuía idade entre 40 a 59 anos (38,8%), sexo feminino (69,4%), nível de pós-graduação (48%), raça/cor branca (64,2%), separados/solteiros (48,3%). A maioria dos participantes concordou com as medidas de flexibilização (41,1%), todavia consideraram os ambientes nada ou pouco adequados para a retomada das atividades cotidianas (com exceção dos locais abertos para atividades físicas). As medidas implementadas pelo Estado durante a pandemia por COVID-19 também foram tidas como pouco e nada adequadas. Houve mais chance de concordância com as medidas de flexibilização entre as pessoas que moravam/conviviam com trabalhadores expostos ao risco de contrair a COVID-19. Conclusão:de modo geral, houve concordância às medidas de flexibilização no país. Morar/conviver com trabalhador exposto ao risco de contrair a COVID-19 foi o principal fator associado à maior chance de concordar com as medidas de flexibilização, o que sinaliza a carga biopsicossocial trazida pela doença.

Background: Women in situations of vulnerability experience situations of violence aggravated by their social condition and which generate mental health problems, and these conditions have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: This study aims to scrutinize the frequency of violence against women and their mental health status within favelas during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, exploring how the pandemic may have impacted these issues and identifying factors that contribute to these experiences. Methods: It is a cross-sectional and quantitative study in which data were obtained through the application of a questionnaire adapted and validated for the Brazilian context. The sample consisted of Brazilian women over 18 years old, who lived lived in favelas in the capital cities of Brazilian states. Sampling was carried out using a sequential approach, including participants as they were located and agreed to take part in the study. Descriptive analyses (absolute and relative frequency) were carried out to characterize the profile of the people who answered the questionnaire and logistic regression to identify the factors associated with mental health status and violence against women. Results: A total of 766 women living in favelas answered the questionnaire. The majority identified themselves as black/brown (75.8%), single, separated, or widowed (51.7%), had completed high school (43.1%), worked informally (47.1%) and did not receive government assistance (57.3%). Black/brown women (OR: 1,05; IC95% 4,55 − 2,53) who were married (OR: 2,45; IC95% 1,18 − 5,19) and exposed to drug trafficking (OR: 3,23; IC95% 1,36 − 7,97) were more likely to experience conjugal violence during the pandemic. In addition, women with informal employment (OR: 3,26; IC95%: 1,24 − 9,55) and complete higher education (OR: 4,47; IC95%: 1,68 − 1,21), were more likely to consider their mental health as precarious during the pandemic period. Conclusions: The pandemic has exacerbated the social vulnerability of these women, highlighting the need to incorporate a gender perspective into the formulation of public policies during health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus disease pandemic greatly impacted society, creating unprecedented challenges for science, healthcare systems, and Primary Health Care, which were quickly charged with diversified responses to face this public health emergency. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of PHC from the perspective of people affected by COVID-19. This was a cross-sectional study with cases of COVID-19 in a Brazilian municipality. We used an electronic questionnaire with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics (of our own elaboration) and the PCATool-Brazil Instrument – for adult patients (reduced version), through the KoBoToolbox resource. After a pre-test and pilot study, data collection took place between January 11 and October 5, 2021. Descriptive statistics were used, calculating the General PHC Score – 0 to 10 (mean and standard deviations). 91 participants evaluated the PHC characteristics/ components. The overall PHC score (mean) was 4.4 (SD=1.9). This low overall PHC score obtained indicates weaknesses in the quality of this level of healthcare, in the first six months of the pandemic in 2020. Such a low PHC quality score is unprecedented. It appears that the negative result in the studied municipality reflects the impact of COVID-19 and the strategies adopted to face the pandemic triggered by SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil and in the world. A pandemia da doença pelo coronavírus impacta sobremaneira a sociedade, gerando desafios sem precedentes para a ciência, para os sistemas de saúde e para a Atenção Primária à Saúde, que foram rapidamente cobrados por respostas diversificadas para o enfrentamento desta emergência de saúde pública. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a qualidade da APS segundo a perspectiva de pessoas acometidas pela COVID-19. Tratou-se de um estudo transversal com casos de COVID-19 em um município brasileiro. Utilizou-se um questionário eletrônico com características sociodemográficas e clínicas (de elaboração própria) e o Instrumento PCATool-Brasil – para pacientes adultos (versão reduzida), por meio do recurso KoBoToolbox. Após pré-teste e estudo piloto, a coleta de dados ocorreu entre 11 de janeiro e 05 de outubro de 2021. Utilizou-se estatística descritiva, sendo calculado o Escore Geral da APS – 0 a 10 (média e desvios padrão). Os 91 participantes avaliaram os atributos/componentes da APS. O Escore Geral da APS (média) foi 4,4 (DP=1,9). Este baixo escore geral da APS obtido sinaliza para fragilidades na qualidade deste nível de atenção à saúde, nos primeiros seis meses da pandemia em 2020. É inédito escore tão baixo de qualidade da APS. Depreende-se que o resultado negativo no município estudado reflete o impacto da COVID-19 e as estratégias adotadas para o enfrentamento da pandemia disparada pelo SARS-CoV-2 no Brasil e no mundo.