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Objective: To estimate the prevalence of hospitalizations and to identify characteristics associated with hospital admission., Methods: We carried out a population-based cross-sectional study of subjects of both sexes, aged 20-69 years, and who lived in the urban area of Pelotas, Southern Brazil, between 1999 and 2000. Subjects were interviewed using a standardized, pre-coded questionnaire. Analysis was stratified by sex and confounder control was carried out using Poisson regression. Variables analyzed included socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, lifestyle, morbidities, and medical appointments in the last year., Results: Of the 1,916 subjects interviewed, 146 (7.6%; 95%CI: 6.4;8.8) had been hospitalized in the year preceding the interview. Among men, characteristics associated with hospitalization included age above 50 years, schooling between five and seven years, history of smoking, minor psychiatric disorders, and medical appointments in the last year. For women, hospitalization was more frequent among subjects aged 60-69 years, with five to seven years of schooling, and who had had medical appointments within the last year. Women who consumed under 30 g/day of alcohol were less likely to have been hospitalized. Prevalence of hospitalization for primary care-sensitive causes was 13.0% (95%CI: 7.6;18.5)., Conclusions: Prevalence of hospitalization is similar in men and women. Schooling, but not income, was found to be associated with hospitalization.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of visiting doctors and to analyze associated factors., Methods: Cross-sectional, population-based study performed in the city of Pelotas, Southern Brazil, between December 1999 and April 2000. A total of 1,962 individuals of both sexes, aged between 20 and 69 years and living in the urban area were included in this study. Data were collected with standardized, pre-coded questionnaires. The outcome "visited doctor during the 12 months prior to interview" was analyzed with socioeconomic and demographic factors, presence of chronic diseases and psychiatric disorders, nutritional status, smoking, alcohol consumption, and hospitalizations in the year prior to interview. Poisson regression was used, according to a hierarchical model, controlled by confounding variables, and considering a significance level of <0.05., Results: Among interviewees, 1,395 (70.9%) had visited a doctor in the period analyzed. Multivariate analysis among men revealed that individuals who showed higher prevalences of medical visits had a per capita family income higher than 10 minimum wages per month, were over 60 years of age, suffered from diabetes mellitus, had a body mass index equal to or above 25 kg/m(2), and had been hospitalized. Women who had a per capita family income higher than six minimum wages per month, were over 60 years of age, white and non-smokers, suffered from hypertension and diabetes, and had been hospitalized showed higher outcome prevalences., Conclusions: Health inequalities were identified in relation to ethnicity and family income. In addition, there was high prevalence of medical visits, especially among individuals who were older and suffered from certain chronic, non-communicable diseases.