Trilhando por cidades saudáveis : contribuição metodológica de índice e sua aplicação em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais

Abstract

This study aimed to develop methodology of Index for Healthy Cities (ICS) and apply it in Uberlandia (Minas Gerais), seeking to contribute new ways and possibilities of analysis of the quality of life in intra-urban, via perspectives of movement Healthy Cities, which has been established in various parts of the world. The guiding point of the research was the need to think of tools to assist public management in the difficult task of building urban environments healthier mainly in average city and big city. It appears that the policy makers need devices that support its actions so that the available resources are used more efficiently and effectively. The ICS has been formulated so that it can be applied in any city in the country. There are ten indicators divided into four dimensions of urban: Social Development, Education, Environment and Health. The indicators were selected on the basis of the Population Census 2010, conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and also data available by municipalities. The statistical analysis comprises three basic elements: proportion of the presence indicator in the census tract for the total value of the city; indicator\'s relationship to the number of inhabitants/household sector and the distribution given by the arithmetic average of these results. The values were normalized to values between zero and one and spatially in 639 census tract, 69 districts of Uberlandia and five urban areas (north, south, east, west and central), using Geographic Information System (GIS). These results were classified into five levels of health: not healthy, low healthy level, medium healthy level, high healthy level and healthy. Uberlandia, in 2010, presented ICS overall equal to 0.607, corresponding to medium healthy level, with presence in neighborhoods with high levels and others with unsatisfactory conditions of quality of life. From the ICS analysis and additional information obtained from the Bank of Integrated Data (BDI) in the city, it was possible to list areas of the city that need more attention from the government, with a view to the construction and consolidation of a Uberlandia healthier.