scieee Science in your language
[en] (orig)

Use of Interrupted Time Series Analysis in Understanding the Course of the Congenital Syphilis Epidemic in Brazil

Abstract

To fight against the rising incidence of syphilis, the Brazilian Ministry of Health (MoH) launched the “Syphilis No!” Project (SNP), with specific resources funded by a parliamentary amendment. Then, in 2018, a national rapid response started to be implemented on the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS, Sistema Único de Saúde) in two strategic lines (1) to reinforce SUS's universal actions and (2) to implement specific ones to 100 municipalities chosen by the MoH as priorities for syphilis congenital response. In 2015, such localities represented 6895% of congenital syphilis cases in Brazil. In this context, SNP has implemented actions to strengthen epidemiological surveillance of acquired syphilis and congenital syphilis by instituting an integrated and collaborative response through health services networks and reinforcing interstate relations. Methods: A quasi-experimental study using time series analysis was conducted to assess immediate impacts and changes to the trend in national congenital syphilis before and after the project, from September 2016 to December 2019. Data were assessed considering rates of congenital syphilis per 1,000 live births in all priority municipalities (n=100) covered by the project and in non-priority municipalities (n=5,470) from all five macro-regions of Brazil. Findings: Priority municipalities showed a greater reduction (change in trend) in comparison to non-priority. The linear regression model revealed trend changes after the intervention, with both groups of municipalities showing a drop in the average monthly number of cases per 1,000 live births, with a reduction of -0·21 (CI 95% -0·33 to -0·09; p=0·0011) in priority municipalities and of -0·10 (CI 95% -0.19 to -0.02; p=0·0216) in non-priority municipalities. Interpretation: The study using ITS provides important evidence on the direction, timing, and magnitude of the effects of interventions introduced as part of the SNP on congenital syphilis in Brazil. Our results suggest that the Syphilis No! Project influenced the trends of congenital syphilis in Brazil from 2018, with higher reductions achieved in the priority municipalities. Funding: The research is funded by a grant to the Syphilis No! Project from Brazilian Ministry of Health (Project Number: 54/2017). The funders had no role in study design, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Read accessible full text

Use of Interrupted Time Series Analysis in Understanding the Course of the Congenital Syphilis Epidemic in Brazil

Author: Travincas Pinto, Rafael,Valentim, Ricardo Nuno dos Reis,Fernandes da Silva, Lyrene,Fontoura de Souza, Gustavo,Góis Farias de Moura Santos Lima, Thaísa,Pereira de Oliveira, Carlos Alberto,Marques dos Santos, Marquiony,Espinosa Miranda, Angélica,Cunha-Oliv
Year: 2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2021.100163
Source: https://estudogeral.uc.pt/bitstream/10316/100477/1/1-s2.0-S2667193X21001599-main.pdf
Use o In e up ed Time Se ies Analysis in
Unde s anding he Cou se o he Congeni al Syphilis
Epidemic in B azil
Ra ael Pin o,
a,b,c,
*Rica do Valen im,
a,b
Ly ene Fe nandes da Sil a,
a
Gus a o Fon ou a de Souza,
b,c
Thaísa G
ois Fa ias de Mou a San os Lima,
b,d
Ca los Albe o Pe ei a de Oli ei a,
b,e
Ma quiony Ma ques dos San os,
a,b
Ang
elica Espinosa Mi anda,
d,
Alie e Cunha-Oli ei a,
g,h
Vi ekanandan Kuma ,
i
and Ri a A un
j
a
Fede al Uni e si y o Rio G ande do No e, Na al, RN, B azil
b
Labo a o y o Technological Inno a ion in Heal h (LAIS), Na al, RN, B azil
c
Fede al Ins i u e o Rio G ande do No e, Na al, RN, B azil
d
Minis y o Heal h, B asília, DF, B azil
e
S a e Uni e si y o Rio de Janei o, Rio de Janei o, RJ, B azil
Fede al Uni e si y o Espí i o San o, ES, B azil
g
Heal h Sciences Resea ch Uni : Nu sing (UICISA: E) and Nu sing School o Coimb a (ESEn C), Coimb a, Po ugal
h
Cen e o In e disciplina y S udies o he 20 h Cen u y (CEIS20), Uni e si y o Coimb a, Coimb a, Po ugal
i
A habasca Uni e si y, A habasca, Canada
j
Ha a d School o Public Heal h, Ha a d Uni e si y, Bos on, MA, USA
Summa y
Backg ound To igh agains he ising incidence o syphilis, he B azilian Minis y o Heal h (MoH) launched he
“Syphilis No!” P ojec (SNP), wi h speci ic esou ces unded by a pa liamen a y amendmen . Then, in 2018, a
na ional apid esponse s a ed o be implemen ed on he B azilian Uni ied Heal h Sys em (SUS, Sis ema 
Unico de
Sa
ude) in wo s a egic lines (1) o ein o ce SUS's uni e sal ac ions and (2) o implemen speci ic ones o 100
municipali ies chosen by he MoH as p io i ies o syphilis congeni al esponse. In 2015, such locali ies ep esen ed
6895% o congeni al syphilis cases in B azil. In his con ex , SNP has implemen ed ac ions o s eng hen epidemio-
logical su eillance o acqui ed syphilis and congeni al syphilis by ins i u ing an in eg a ed and collabo a i e
esponse h ough heal h se ices ne wo ks and ein o cing in e s a e ela ions.
Me hods A quasi-expe imen al s udy using ime se ies analysis was conduc ed o assess immedia e impac s and
changes o he end in na ional congeni al syphilis be o e and a e he p ojec , om Sep embe 2016 o Decembe
2019. Da a we e assessed conside ing a es o congeni al syphilis pe 1,000 li e bi hs in all p io i y municipali ies
(n=100) co e ed by he p ojec and in non-p io i y municipali ies (n=5,470) om all i e mac o- egions o B azil.
Findings P io i y municipali ies showed a g ea e educ ion (change in end) in compa ison o non-p io i y. The
linea eg ession model e ealed end changes a e he in e en ion, wi h bo h g oups o municipali ies showing a
d op in he a e age mon hly numbe o cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs, wi h a educ ion o -0¢21 (CI 95% -0¢33 o -0¢09;
p=0¢0011) in p io i y municipali ies and o -0¢10 (CI 95% -0.19 o -0.02; p=0¢0216) in non-p io i y municipali ies.
In e p e a ion The s udy using ITS p o ides impo an e idence on he di ec ion, iming, and magni ude o he
e ec s o in e en ions in oduced as pa o he SNP on congeni al syphilis in B azil. Ou esul s sugges ha he
Syphilis No! P ojec in luenced he ends o congeni al syphilis in B azil om 2018, wi h highe educ ions
achie ed in he p io i y municipali ies.
Funding The esea ch is unded by a g an o he Syphilis No! P ojec om B azilian Minis y o Heal h (P ojec
Numbe : 54/2017). The unde s had no ole in s udy design, analysis, decision o publish, o p epa a ion o he man-
usc ip .
Copy igh Ó2021 The Au ho (s). Published by Else ie L d. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY-NC-ND
license (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Keywo ds: public heal h; policy; in e up ed ime se ies; segmen ed eg ession analysis; no i iable disease; syphilis
*Co esponding au ho .
E-mail add ess: [email p o ec ed] (R. Pin o).
The Lance Regional
Heal h - Ame icas
2022;7: 100163
Published online 27
Decembe 2021
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.
lana.2021.100163
www. helance .com Vol 7 Mon h Ma ch, 2022 1
A icles
In oduc ion
Congeni al syphilis (mo he - o-child ansmission o
e ical ansmission o syphilis o syphilis) causes dam-
age o he e us i he mo he ’s in ec ion is no de ec ed
and p ope ly ea ed du ing p egnancy. The Wo ld
Heal h O ganiza ion (WHO) es ima es ha each yea
930,000 p egnan women ha e p obable ac i e syphilis
wo ldwide each yea . I esul s in app oxima ely
350,000 ad e se bi h ou comes, including 143,000
ea ly e al dea hs/s illbi hs, 62,000 neona al dea hs,
44,000 p ema u e/low-bi hweigh babies, and
102,000 in ec ed in an s.
1,2
The Pan Ame ican Heal h O ganiza ion (PAHO)
Membe S a es, suppo ed by WHO, in 2010 app o ed
he S a egy and Plan o Ac ion o he Elimina ion o
Mo he - o-Child T ansmission o HIV and Congeni al
Syphilis. The s a egy was se o educe he incidence o
congeni al syphilis o ≤0¢5 cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs
by 2015.
3
None heless, B azil did no each he congeni-
al syphilis elimina ion goal, which led a esu gence o
acqui ed syphilis, syphilis in p egnan women and con-
geni al syphilis ac oss he coun y. In 2010, 6,949 cases
o congeni al syphilis we e epo ed o he B azilian
Minis y o Heal h (2¢4/1,000 li e bi hs), whe eas, in
2015, his case coun inc eased o 19,647 (6¢5/1,000 li e
bi hs) accoun ing o a g ow h a e o 170¢83%.
4
To igh he syphilis epidemic in B azil, in Oc obe o
2016, he Minis y o Heal h (MoH) issued he S a egic
Ac ions Agenda o Reducing Syphilis in B azil.
5
This
agenda es ablished a lis o p io i ies aimed in collabo a-
ion wi h PAHO and o he ins i u ions such as uni e si-
ies, in e na ional agencies, and s a e and municipal
ep esen a i es. Fu he mo e, such agenda p omp ed a
pa liamen a y amendmen wi h speci ic esou ces o
implemen a na ional apid esponse in B azil’s Uni ied
Heal h Sys em (SUS, Sis ema 
Unico de Sa
ude).
The B azilian Minis y o Heal h in i ed s a e and
municipal heal h manage s o igh syphilis h ough he
“Syphilis No!” P ojec — ha included he “Applied
Resea ch o In elligen In eg a ion Aimed a S eng h-
ening Heal hca e Ne wo ks o Rapid Response o
Syphilis”— o educe acqui ed syphilis, syphilis in p eg-
nan women, and congeni al syphilis by expanding co -
e age o diagnosis ( h ough apid es ing), and imely
and p ope ea men o p egnan women and sexual
pa ne s in p ena al ca e, childbi h, o abo ion si ua-
ions. Th ough he P ojec , he syphilis epidemic has
been aced up h ough wo s a egic lines: (1) ein o c-
ing uni e sal ac ions o SUS and (2) implemen ing spe-
ci ic ones o 100 municipali ies chosen by he MoH as
p io i ies o syphilis congeni al esponse, as in 2015
hey ep esen ed 68¢95% o he numbe o congeni al
syphilis cases in B azil.
The uni e sal line o in e en ion included acqui ing
and dis ibu ing es ing and ea men supplies (c ys al-
line and benza hine penicillin), enhancing he STI labo-
a o ies ne wo k and he si ua ion ooms o
epidemiological su eillance, educommunica ion s a e-
gies,
6
social in e en ions, and awa eness campaigns
pe o med o ace syphilis in ha pe iod. A he same
ime, ins i u ional suppo was g an ed o he p io i y
municipali ies, whe e Resea ch and In e en ion Sup-
po e s (RIS) ca ied ou speci ic wo k wi h local heal h
manage s. Hence, his wo k p o ided echnical coope a-
ion o s eng hen p e en ion ac ions aimed a educing
he e ical ansmission o syphilis, such as imple-
men ing commi ees ocused on in es iga ing syphilis
Resea ch in Con ex
E idence be o e his s udy
We sea ched PubMed o a icles published up o Oc 1,
2021, using he e ms "syphilis" AND (" empo al analysis"
OR " ime se ies" OR " eg ession me hods") AND "public
heal h", wi h no language es ic ions. Ou sea ch iden i-
fied six s udies. Fou o hem epo analysis o syphilis
da a in B azil om a ime se ies pe spec i e, wi h di e -
en se ings, showing he syphilis incidence a es inc eas-
ing om 2007 o 2016 and he challenge o he B azilian
Minis y o Heal h o educe he h ee o ms o syphilis
(in p egnancy, congeni al and acqui ed). Apa om
hese s udies, China epo ed ha syphilis incidence a es
ha e inc eased h ee- old om 2005 o 2012 and ime
se ies analysis was an e ec i e ool o modelling he his-
o ical and u u e incidence.
Added alue o his s udy
We used in e up ed ime se ies o examine ends
be o e and a e he in oduc ion o a public in e en-
ion p ojec in B azil in o de o educe acqui ed syphilis,
syphilis in p egnan women, and congeni al syphilis by
expanding co e age o diagnosis ( h ough apid es -
ing), and imely and app op ia e ea men o p egnan
women and sexual pa ne s in p ena al ca e, childbi h,
o abo ion si ua ions. Da a we e assessed conside ing
a es o congeni al syphilis pe 1,000 li e bi hs in all p i-
o i y municipali ies (n=100) co e ed by he p ojec and
in non-p io i y municipali ies (n=5,470) om all fi e
mac o- egions o B azil.
Ou in e up ed ime se ies da a indica e changes in
ends owa ds educ ion o s abiliza ion in almos all
egions (No h, No heas , Sou h, and Sou heas ). This
e ec may be a ibu ed o he p ojec 's uni e sal
ac ions, ha is, gene al in e en ions ha we e
designed and implemen ed in all B azilian s a es and
municipali ies.
Implica ion o all he a ailable e idence
In ecen yea s (2010-2019) i is he fi s ime we can see
a change in he cou se o congeni al syphilis in B azil.
The e ec s o he in e en ion a he na ional le el
e eals s a is ically significan end changes in mon hly
a es o congeni al syphilis in B azil and shows a e a -
ia ions by egion.
A icles
2 www. helance .com Vol 7 Mon h Ma ch, 2022
cases and ein o cing local planning o esponse on he
p ojec 's axis, among o he s. The de ails o he p ojec
in e en ions and ele an imelines a e p esen ed in
Appendix (Figu es A1 o A5).
The pu pose o his s udy is o use in e up ed ime
se ies o es ima e in e en ion e ec s o e ime by com-
pa ing a es o congeni al syphilis pe 1,000 li e bi hs
in he p io i y municipali ies (n=100) co e ed by he
Syphilis No! P ojec and in non-p io i y municipali ies
(n=5,470) in he i e mac o- egions o B azil: No h,
No heas , Sou h, Sou heas , and Midwes .
Me hods
Conside ing ha a andomized con olled ial (RCT) is
in easible o be pe o med in his s udy, we used a
quasi-expe imen al esea ch design wi h in e up ed
ime se ies (ITS) analysis. Such design enables compa i-
sons in popula ion heal h ou comes be o e, du ing and
a e an in e en ion wi hin a clea ly de ined span.
7
ITS
is a good app oach o e alua ing longi udinal e ec s o
heal h in e en ions.
8,9
Besides, i can be used as a s a-
is ical me hod o es ima ing in e en ion e ec s o a
policy change on an ou come o in e es .
10
The ITS
design and he use o segmen ed eg ession analysis
enables e alua ion o immedia e impac and slope asso-
cia ed wi h a policy in e en ion while con olling he
o e all end in he a e o he ou come o in e es .
10
This s udy was pe o med h ough a mul idimen-
sional, lexible, and adap i e amewo k aimed a disco -
e y and empo al analysis o public heal h in e en ions.
I was implemen ed using he He mes sys em,
11,12
which manages a comple e da a li e cycle
13
by 1) acqui -
ing da a om se e al ex e nal sou ces in di e en o -
ma s; 2) cleaning da a o s anda diza ion and e o
emo al; 3) ans o ming i in o speci ic models; 4) pub-
lishing a dashboa d; 5) p ese ing da a as a s uc u ed
da abase.
Use o da a sou ces
The He mes sys em was used o collec congeni al syph-
ilis da a om he No i iable Diseases In o ma ion Sys-
em (SINAN, Sis ema de In o ma¸c~
ao de Ag a os de
No i ica¸c~
ao), p o ided by he B azilian MoH. These da a
ep esen he o al numbe o no i ied cases pe munici-
pali y, gi en by mon h and yea . The i al eco ds o li e
bi hs by municipali y o each yea , we e e ie ed
om he Heal h In o ma ics Depa men o he B azil-
ian Minis y o Heal h (DATASUS) and used calcula e
mon hly a e age li e pe municipali y pe yea . He mes
de i ed he a es o congeni al syphilis cases by di iding
mon hly cases pe municipali y by li e bi hs.
P io i y s non-p io i y municipali ies
B azil has 5,570 municipali ies sp ead o e i e
mac o- egions—No h, No heas , Sou h, Sou heas
and Midwes . Mon hly a es pe municipali y we e
used o ca ego ise municipali ies in o p io i y and
non-p io i y.
The MoH classi ied he p ojec as a ool wi h wo
lines o inducing esponse on syphilis: uni e sal and
speci ic ac ions. Thus, p io i y municipali ies (n=100)
we e de ined on popula ion and epidemiological c i e-
ia, namely: he 27 capi als, in addi ion o municipali ies
in me opoli an egions wi h mo e han 100,000 inhab-
i an s ha had, in 2015, he highes a es o bo h con-
geni al syphilis incidence in child en unde one yea o
age and pe ina al mo ali y. The p io i y municipali ies
ep esen ed 68¢95% o he o al congeni al syphilis
cases in B azil. O he municipali ies (n=5,470) we e ca -
ego ised as non-p io i y. Appendix (Figu e A6) p o ides
geog aphic, demog aphic and socio-economic cha ac e -
is ics o he i e egions and p esen s he geog aphic
loca ion o 100 p io i y and 5,470 non-p io i y munici-
pali ies.
The p io i y municipali ies ecei ed suppo and
echnical coope a ion om he p ojec 's ne wo k o
Resea ch and In e en ion Suppo e s. Thei wo k
ocused on he municipali ies'needs wi hin he axis o
he p ojec , as i was moni o ed h ough he “LUES”
pla o m,
14
made a ailable by he p ojec . The suppo -
e s en e ed on he “LUES” pla o m all o hei echnical
coope a ion ac i i ies o heal h eams and local manag-
e s o p io i y municipali ies on a mon hly basis o sup-
po ing ac ions o p e en mo he - o-child ansmission
(MTCT) o syphilis.
S a is ical analysis
A quasi-expe imen al design was applied o analyze he
ime se ies da a using a segmen ed linea eg ession
model in he R so wa e, adap ed o exchange da a wi h
He mes in o de o assess he immedia e impac and
change in end o na ional congeni al syphilis a es p e
and pos he SNP in e en ion. Wha is mo e, May o
2018 was conside ed he in e en ion s a ime poin
o implemen ing he Syphilis No! P ojec . Appendix
p o ides R code used in his analysis.
Da a mus be collec ed egula ly o e ime and a
equally spaced in e als o pe o m a segmen ed eg es-
sion analysis.
9,15
To a oid any bias ela ed o he Co id-
19 pandemic, Decembe o 2019 was de ined as he end
da e o he da a collec ion, o aling 20 mon hs p e-
in e en ion (Sep/2016 o Ap /2018) and 20 mon hs
pos -in e en ion (May/2018 o Dec/2019).
A linea ela ionship be ween ime and he ou come
wi hin each segmen was assumed, conside ing seg-
men ed eg ession models i a leas squa es eg ession
line o each segmen o he independen a iable
( ime), p<0¢05 was conside ed s a is ically signi ican .
Thus, he nex s ep in he analysis was o es ima e he
magni ude o he in e en ion and es he s a is ical sig-
ni icance o immedia e impac and end a es.
A icles
www. helance .com Vol 7 Mon h Ma ch, 2022 3
The eg ession model used o i hese da a is
s aigh o wa d. ou come
=b
0
+b
1
* + b
2
*
p io i y
+b
3
* p io i y
*i+b
4
* pos -in e en ion
+b
5
*( -T
I
) * pos -in e en ion
+b
6
* pos -in e en ion
*
p io i y
+b
7
* pos -in e en ion
* * p io i y
+e
Whe e b
0
is he baseline ou come o he non-p io -
i y g oup; b
1
is he p e-exis ing end in he ou come o
in e es o he p io i y non-g oup; b
2
is he baseline di -
e ence be ween non-p io i y and p io i y g oups; b
3
is
he di e ence in end be ween non-p io i y and p io i y
g oup be o e in e en ion; b
4
is he immedia e impac
in he p io i y g oup; b
5
is he end change in he p io -
i y g oup; b
6
is he di e ence in he immedia e impac
change be ween he non-p io i y and p io i y a e in e -
en ion, and b
7
is he di e ence in end change
be ween he non-p io i y and p io i y g oup a e in e -
en ion. P io i y a iable is coded 1 o p io i y and 0 o
non-p io i y. The a iable is only an inc emen ha
coun s up om 1 o 40 o e he en i e pe iod. The pos -
in e en ion a iable was se o be 0 be o e he in e en-
ion and 1 a e . T
I
is cons an ha ep esen s he in e -
en ion momen , in his case is equal o 20. Figu e 1
ep esen s he model, including he immedia e impac
and end change.
O dina y Leas Squa es (OLS) eg ession analysis
assumes ha e o e ms associa ed wi h each obse a-
ion a e unco ela ed. Co ec ly inspec ing au oco ela-
ion e ms can a oid unde es ima ed s anda d e o s
and o e es ima ed signi icance o he e ec s o an in e -
en ion.
15
In he case o his s udy, a Du bin-Wa son
es was used o in es iga e he p esence o au oco ela-
ion, in addi ion o esidual plo s, Au o Co ela ion
Func ion (ACF) plo s, and pa ial-ACF plo s. Au oco e-
la ion was no de ec ed in he s a is ical es s.
R-squa ed is a s a is ical measu e o how close he da a
a e o he i ed eg ession line. I is also known as he coe -
icien o de e mina ion o he coe icien o mul iple de e -
mina ion o mul iple eg ession. I was used in his
esea ch’s model o de e mine how close he da a a e o
he model and how i is p esen ed in he esul s. R-squa ed
is a alue be ween 0 and 1, whe e 0 indica es ha he
model explains none o he a iabili y o he esponse da a
a ound i s mean, and 1 indica es ha he model explains
all he a iabili y o he esponse da a a ound i s mean.
Ou lie s a e ex eme alues ha do no seem o i in
he ime se ies. I he ou lie e lec s an an icipa o y o
sho - e m his o y e ec , he da a poin can be explici ly
modeled. Al e na i ely, i he ou lie is an unambiguous
clea consequence o he in e en ion, i can be ea ed
as a egula da a poin o e alua e i s impac . A p elimi-
na y analysis was pe o med, and a single ou lie was
iden i ied in he Midwes egion a e he in e en ion
(July 2018). The Mo ing A e age (MA) me hod was
used o smoo h he da a o he pu pose o explaining
empo al ends. The MA used was o o de h ee,
which p o ides only a smoo hing wi h he wo mon hs
(be o e and a e ) he calcula ed obse a ion. A e his
p ocess, no ou lie emained.
The eg ession models ob ained o each g oup (p i-
o i y and non-p io i y municipali ies), using da a om
he p e- and pos -in e en ion pe iods (May 2018), we e
compa ed wi h he coun e ac ual o he pos -in e en-
ion pe iod conside ing he end obse ed be o e he
in e en ion. The coun e ac ual enables a compa ison
be ween he obse ed change and wha would ha e hap-
pened had he in e en ion no aken place. The eg es-
sion model pa ame e s we e ob ained by poin and
in e al es ima ion using 95% o con idence.
Figu e 1. In e up ed ime-se ies pa ame e ized as a segmen ed eg ession model, including he immedia e impac and end
change. The solid lines ep esen he obse ed alues, and do ed lines indica e he coun e ac ual o he pos -in e en ion pe iod.
A icles
4 www. helance .com Vol 7 Mon h Ma ch, 2022
Role o he unding sou ce
The unde s had no ole in s udy design, da a collec ion,
da a analysis, in e p e a ion, decision o publish, o
p epa a ion o he manusc ip .
Resul s
Resul s o he ime se ies analysis compa ing a es o
congeni al syphilis pe 1,000 li e bi hs in he p io i y
municipali ies and non-p io i y municipali ies a e p e-
sen ed in Table 1 and Figu es 2 o 7. The ed do s ep e-
sen he mon hly a es o cases in p io i y
municipali ies and he blue do s in non-p io i y ones.
The con inuous lines indica e he eg ession models
ob ained o each g oup (p io i y and non-p io i y),
using da a om he p e- and pos -in e en ion pe iods
(May 2018). Mo eo e , he do ed lines indica e he
coun e ac ual o he pos -in e en ion pe iod using
he da a end obse ed be o e he in e en ion. Table 2
p esen s his compa ison conside ing he las mon h o
he analyzed pe iod (20 h mon h, Decembe o 2019).
These esul s desc ibe he in e en ion e ec s in
de ail o each egion, sepa a ely. Tha is because i cap-
u es he egionalized in luence o he Uni ied Heal h
Sys em go e nance—which is in e ede a i e, wi h clea
a ibu ions a local, s a e, and ede al le els. In his
sense, as P ima y Heal h Ca e (PHC) is a esponsibili y
o municipali ies, e idence ha he SNP e ec s can a y
ac oss egions can be cap u ed.
Fo he No h egion o B azil, in Figu e 2 and Table 1
(column 2), o bo h p io i y and non-p io i y municipali-
ies, he e was a educ ion in he mon hly a e o congeni-
al syphilis cases in he pos -in e en ion pe iod. The
mon hly a e age educ ion was -1¢77 cases pe 1,000 li e
bi hs in p io i y municipali ies and -009 pe 1,000 li e
bi hs in non-p io i y municipali ies, as shown in Table 1.
In addi ion, he es ima ed linea eg ession models o
each si ua ion show changes in he mon hly a e age
ends, wi h a -0¢05 educ ion in he p io i y municipali ies
and a -0¢07 educ ion o he non-p io i y ones.
The coun e ac ual p esen ed in Table 2 shows ha
o he p io i y municipali ies he model es ima ed
18¢08 cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs a he end o he 20 h
mon h wi hou in e en ion. In compa ison, wi h in e -
en ion, 13¢73 cases we e obse ed o he same ime
poin , indica ing a decline o 24¢09%. In he non-p io -
i y municipali ies, he model es ima ed 5¢11 mon hly
cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs in he 20 h mon h. The
obse ed alue wi h he in e en ion was 3¢63 pe 1,000
li e bi hs, which ep esen s a all o 28¢97%.
Figu e 3 and Table 1 (column 3) display he esul s o
he No heas egion, whe e an inc easing o 2¢23 cases
pe 1,000 li e bi hs in immedia e impac can be obse ed
pos -in e en ion in p io i y loca ions. The e was also a
0¢34 educ ion in cases o non-p io i y municipali ies. A
change in end can be obse ed o bo h g oups. Non-p i-
o i y municipali ies e e sed he upwa d end wi h a
mon hly slope o -0¢11 cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs. Mean-
while, p io i y municipali ies showed a slope o -0¢64
cases pe housand li e bi hs pos in e en ion.
Rega ding he coun e ac ual (Table 2) o his
egion, a he end o he span analyzed in p io i y
municipali ies and wi hou in e en ion, he model es i-
ma ed 28¢11 cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs, compa ed o
15¢75 cases obse ed a e in e en ion (a d op o
43¢95% o his g oup). In non-p io i y municipali ies,
he model es ima ed 5¢33 cases in he las mon h o da a
collec ion, while he ac ual alue wi h he in e en ion
was 3¢63 pe 1,000 li e bi hs, a decline o 31¢79%.
As ep esen ed in Figu e 4 and Table 1 (column 4),
p io i y municipali ies in he Sou h egion showed a
sha p d op o -1¢76 mon hly cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs,
and a end change o -0¢28 mon hly cases pe 1,000
li e bi hs. Con e sely, in he non-p io i y municipali-
ies he e was an inc ease o 0¢48 in mon hly cases pe
1,000 li e bi hs and a mino end change o -0¢04
mon hly cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs.
The model es ima ed 26¢13 cases pe 1,000 li e
bi hs i no in e en ion had aken place in he p io i y
municipali ies om he Sou h egion. The ac ual alue
wi h in e en ion, was 18¢42 cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs,
ep esen ing a decline o 29¢48%. A sligh dec ease o
4¢27% was obse ed o non-p io i y municipali ies
wi h an es ima ed 5¢82 coun e ac ual cases and 5¢57
ac ual cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs.
The non-p io i y municipali ies in he Sou heas
egion (Figu e 5 and Table 1, column 5) wen h ough
an inc ease o 0¢13 mon hly cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs
and a change in end wi h a dec ease o -0¢16 mon hly
cases. Whe eas he p io i y municipali ies expe ienced a
-1¢11 educ ion in mon hly cases and sligh ly declining
end o -0¢02 mon hly cases.
The coun e ac ual o his egion p ojec ed an es i-
ma ed 20¢84 cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs in p io i y munici-
pali ies (Table 2) in he absence o in e en ion. Howe e ,
a educ ion o 21¢21% o 16¢42 cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs
was obse ed. In he Sou heas egions’s non-p io i y
municipali ies, he coun e ac ual was 8¢70 cases agains
5¢85 ac ual cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs, wi h a 32¢69%
educ ionin hepos -in e en ionpe iod.
In he Midwes egion (Figu e 6 and Table 1, column
6), he e was a educ ion o -0¢47 mon hly cases in he
p io i y municipali ies ollowing he in e en ions, bu
an inc ease o 0¢87 mon hly cases in he non-p io i y
municipali ies. The e was a e e sal o he end in he
p io i y municipali ies om 0¢09 mon hly cases pe
1,000 li e bi hs p e-in e en ion o -0¢07 pos in e en-
ions. Con e sely, in non-p io i y loca ions, he e was a
e e sal o he end in he opposi e di ec ion. In his
manne , a downwa d end o -0¢02 mon hly cases
be o e in e en ion changed o 0¢00 in he pos -in e -
en ion pe iod.
The coun e ac ual o he pos -in e en ion pe iod
in p io i y municipali ies was 12¢52 cases pe 1,000 li e
www. helance .com Vol 7 Mon h Ma ch, 2022 5
A icles

No h No heas Sou h Sou heas Midwes B azil
alue
(CI 95%)
p- alue alue
(CI 95%)
p- alue alue (CI 95%) p- alue alue (CI 95%) p- alue alue (CI 95%) p- alue alue (CI 95%) p- alue
P e-In e en ion
In e cep 1¢45
(0¢71 o 2¢19)
<0¢001 2¢45
(1¢51 o 3¢39)
<0¢001 4¢65
(3¢49 o 5¢82)
<0¢001 4¢45
(3¢61 o 5¢30)
<0¢001 2¢54
(1¢71 o 3¢37)
<0¢001 3¢44
(2¢71 o 4¢17)
<0¢001
Di e en ial
be ween g oups
11¢39
(10¢35 o 12¢44)
<0¢001 15¢58
(14¢25 o 16¢91)
<0¢001 15¢04
(13¢39 o 16¢68)
<0¢001 8¢38
(7¢18 o 9¢58)
<0¢001 6¢87
(5¢70 o 8¢04)
<0¢001 10¢96
(9¢92 o 12¢00)
<0¢001
T end in p io i y
g oup
0¢04
(-0¢05 o 0¢13)
0¢393 0¢18
(0¢07 o 0¢29)
0¢002 0¢13
(-0¢01 o 0¢27)
0¢062 0¢09
(-0¢01 o 0¢19)
0¢077 0¢09
(-0¢01 o 0¢19)
0¢063 0¢11
(0¢03 o 0¢20)
0¢011
T end in non-p io -
i y g oup
0¢09
(0¢03 o 0¢16)
0¢004 0¢07
(0¢00 o 0¢15)
0¢062 0¢03
(-0¢07 o 0¢13)
0¢539 0¢11
(0¢04 o 0¢18)
0¢003 -0¢02
(-0¢08 o 0¢05)
0¢665 0¢08
(0¢01 o 0¢14)
0¢017
Pos -In e en ion
Immedia e impac
in p io i y g oup
-1¢77
(-3¢20 o -0¢34)
0¢016 2¢23
(0¢42 o 4¢05)
0¢016 -1¢76
(-4¢00 o 0¢49)
0¢123 -1¢11
(-2¢75 o 0¢53)
0¢181 -0¢47
(-2¢07 o 1¢13)
0¢560 -0¢36
(-1¢77 o 1¢06)
0¢618
Immedia e impac
in non-p io i y
g oup
-0¢09
(-1¢10 o 0¢92)
0¢865 0¢34
(-0¢94 o 1¢62)
0¢598 0¢48
(-1¢11 o 2¢07)
0¢548 0¢13
(-1¢03 o 1¢29)
0¢822 0¢87
(-0¢26 o 2¢00)
0¢131 0¢28
(-0¢72 o 1¢28)
0¢583
Change in end in
p io i y g oup
-0¢05
(-0¢18 o 0¢07)
0¢407 -0¢64
(-0¢80 o -0¢48)
<0¢001 -0¢28
(-0¢48 o -0¢09)
0¢005 -0¢02
(-0¢16 o 0¢13)
0¢827 -0¢07
(-0¢21 o 0¢06)
0¢291 -0¢21
(-0¢33 o -0¢09)
0¢001
Change in end in
non-p io i y
g oup
-0¢07
(-0¢16 o 0¢01)
0¢099 -0¢11
(-0¢22 o 0¢00)
0¢058 -0¢04
(-0¢18 o 0¢10)
0¢579 -0¢16
(-0¢26 o -0¢06)
0¢003 0¢00
(-0¢09 o 0¢10)
0¢949 -0¢10
(-0¢19 o -0¢02)
0¢021
R
2
0¢9816 0¢9877 0¢9767 0¢9691 0¢9590 0¢9848
Table 1: Resul s o he ime se ies analysis compa ing a es o congeni al syphilis pe 1,000 li e bi hs be ween p io i y and non-p io i y municipali ies.
6 www. helance .com Vol 7 Mon h Ma ch, 2022
A icles
bi hs a he end o he pe iod (Table 2), compa ed o
16¢42 ac ual cases, which ep esen s a all o 21¢21%. By
con as , he compa ison be ween he coun e ac ual
(1¢94) and ac ual (2¢86) cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs o
he non-p io i y municipali ies e ealed a 47¢86%
inc ease.
The combined analysis o he na ional da a e eals a
decline in he immedia e impac o congeni al syphilis
pos -in e en ion, wi h an a e age mon hly educ ion o
-0¢36 cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs in he p io i y munici-
pali ies. Con e sely, he e was an inc ease o 0¢28 cases
pe 1,000 li e bi hs in non-p io i y municipali ies. In
he linea eg ession model, examina ion o he ends
o bo h g oups ollowing he in e en ion, e eals a
dec ease in he g ow h o he a e age numbe o cases
pe 1,000 li e bi hs. Hence, he e was a educ ion o
-0¢21 in p io i y municipali ies and o -0¢10 in non-p io -
i y ones, as depic ed in Figu e 7 and Table 1 (column 7).
Figu e 2. Changes in congeni al syphilis a es in he No h egion 20 mon hs be o e and a e he in e en ion.
Figu e 3. Changes in congeni al syphilis a es in he No heas egion 20 mon hs be o e and a e he in e en ion.
www. helance .com Vol 7 Mon h Ma ch, 2022 7
A icles
Fo p io i y municipali ies, he combined analysis
also indica es a educ ion o 28¢79% in he numbe o
cases in he las mon h o he analyzed pe iod (Table 2)
when compa ed he coun e ac ual o 21¢93 wi h he
ac ual numbe o 15¢61 cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs. In
he non-p io i y municipali ies, he e was a d op o
26¢20%. Acco dingly, i wen om 6¢34 coun e ac ual
cases o 4¢68 ac ual cases pe 1,000 li e bi hs.
As o congeni al syphilis in p io i y and non-p i-
o i y municipali ies, he mos ema kable di e en-
ces we e ound in he No heas (15¢58 pe 1,000
li e bi hs) and Sou h (15¢04 pe 1,000 li e bi hs)
egions, ollowed by he No h (11¢39 cases pe
1,000 li e bi hs), Sou heas (8¢38 cases pe 1,000
li e bi hs) and Midwes (6¢87 cases pe 1,000 li e
bi hs).
Figu e 4. Changes in congeni al syphilis a es in he Sou h egion 20 mon hs be o e and a e he in e en ion.
Figu e 5. Changes in congeni al syphilis a es in he Sou heas egion 20 mon hs be o e and a e he in e en ion.
8 www. helance .com Vol 7 Mon h Ma ch, 2022
A icles
Discussion
The indings indica e a s a is ically signi ican educ ion in
he end o congeni al syphilis cases in B azil in he 20
mon hs ollowing he Syphilis No! P ojec in e en ions.
Addi ionally, he esul s e eal ha p io i y municipali ies
expe ienced a mo e signi ican educ ion in congeni al
syphilis cases when compa ed o o he B azilian munici-
pali ies wi h a g ea e educ ion in he end.
Fo p io i y municipali ies, he p ojec ’s impac on
changing he cou se o congeni al syphilis ends was
mo e e iden . Unlike he o he ou B azilian egions,
he mos signi ican change in he g ow h end was
obse ed in he No heas , which showed a sha p d op.
Fu he mo e, dec easing pos -in e en ion ends we e
obse ed in he No heas and Sou h egions. Mean-
while, he e was s abiliza ion o he end in he No h.
Figu e 6. Changes in congeni al syphilis a es in he Midwes egion 20 mon hs be o e and a e he in e en ion.
Figu e 7. Changes in congeni al syphilis a es in B azil 20 mon hs be o e and a e he in e en ion.
www. helance .com Vol 7 Mon h Ma ch, 2022 9
A icles