Análise do perfil epidemiológico auto-referido em amostra de brasileiras grávidas durante a pandemia de COVID-19: um estudo transversal (2020-2021)

Abstract

Introduction: In early 2020, the world began to experience impacts of different magnitudes at different levels and activities of human society, due to the occurrence of the pandemic of a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which causes a systemic disease, now recognized as COVID-19. In this context, the acquisition and interpretation of epidemiological data, many of a nature never worked on before, became essential for making preventive decisions and for containing the spread of the disease, as well as for clarifying the real impacts of the pandemic. Objective: To carry out an exploratory survey of the impact suffered by Brazilian pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: This study is characterized as observational, cross- sectional, exploratory. Data were obtained from a questionnaire distributed by social networks to all Brazilian states from April 2020 to July 2021. Among more than 60,000 respondents, 500 pregnant women reported on the main aspects of impact on their lives during the pandemic: with how many co-inhabitants share their homes, if they already have children, if they managed to isolate and distance themselves adequately, if they had to work to support themselves, if they were tested and/or vaccinated, among several other aspects. All data were organized, cleaned and worked using the statistical computer program R. Results: The results show that most pregnant respondents are between 30-39 years old, live in the southeast (SP), in a home with a single family (3 people), formed by only young people and adults (or with few elderly and more children), they think they do not need to be tested, they did not have any symptoms, they suffered from anxiety, they work in places where prevention measures are implemented, they avoid crowding, they think the governmental measures taken are insufficient, they are in favor of lockdown, but in favor of the opening of sporting events, they did not have a significant economic impact, they think that having to take care of children makes isolation difficult, and they do not have other risk factors for COVID-19 serious. Conclusion: We conclude that, in general, Brazilian pregnant women in our sample were impacted differently by the pandemic, showing a very evident preventive behavior. This raises the question of whether such behavior does not explain the low number of pregnant women among the cases and deaths recorded during the pandemic.