SANITATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH: ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEWAGE SERVICES AND HOSPITALIZATIONS IN BRAZIL

Abstract

Basic sanitation is an important component of environmental conditions related to public health, particularly regarding water supply and sewage services. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between sewage coverage and hospital admissions due to waterborne diseases in six Brazilian municipalities: Porto Velho (RO), Campinas (SP), Recife (PE), São Paulo (SP), Taciba (SP), and Piatã (BA). This is a quantitative, descriptive, comparative, and documentary study based on secondary data from official sanitation databases, demographic information, and hospital admission records. To compare municipalities with different population sizes, hospitalization rates per 10,000 inhabitants were calculated. The analysis showed significant differences in sewage coverage among the municipalities studied. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a moderate negative correlation between sewage coverage and hospitalization rates (r = −0.514; R² = 0.264), although without statistical significance (p = 0.297). The results indicate a trend toward an association between higher sewage coverage and lower hospitalization rates, although this association was not statistically significant. These findings reinforce that the relationship between sanitation and health is multidimensional and is also influenced by demographic, socioeconomic, environmental factors, and factors related to access to health services.