Poverty and its influence on risk and family damage in a district of Lima, Peru: results by sector analysis and Primary Health Care

Objective: Poverty generates negative effects on health, education, and family environment. Sectoral analysis through its components enables to identify the risk groups and damage in the families. The objective of this work is to determine the state of poverty and its influence on the risk and family damage in the district of Villa Maria del Triunfo (VMT), Lima, Peru. Materials and methods: Ecological study that used the database of the health facility of the VMT district, in which the family risk and the socioeconomic level of 450 families in 7 sectors are evaluated between the years 2015 to June 2017. Results: More than three-quarters of the families are poor (77.9%). The most prevalent damages were malnutrition and mental health. The most frequent family risk factors were family violence, with the absence of breastfeeding in infants, adolescent pregnancy, and old age. It was found that poverty was associated with family risk (P =.019, OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.07-3.23), and damage risk (P <.001, OR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.32-3.92). Conclusion: The level of poverty is high. This condition was associated with increased risk and family damage, especially for malnutrition and mental health problems. Interventions should be carried out in families, especially among the poor, and decisive measures should be made on the social factors determining ill-health.