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Brazil has a historical gap regarding information on violence against women. Herein we aimed to evaluate the association of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics with physical violence against women in Brazil, as well as the possible escalation of violence to severe patterns of violence. We analysed data from the 3rd Brazilian Household Survey on Substance Use, in 2015. The main outcomes were reporting any physical violence and being stabbed/shot in the last 12-months. Logistic regressions were fitted to assess the association between socioeconomic and demographic variables with the outcomes. We estimated 3.8 million women reported any physical violence (5.52%): 3.79% reported threats to beat/ push/kick, 1.87% threats with knife/gun, 2.49% were beaten/pushed/kicked, 0.63% were spanked/ choked, and 0.21% were stabbed/shot. The higher the severity of violence, the higher the number of types of violence experienced. The likelihood of reporting any violence was higher among women 18-24 years, without a stable partner, who were at an informal job or unemployed, and who live in urban areas. The sociodemographic characteristics associated with reporting any violence reinforce the importance of addressing gender inequalities. Evidence of escalation violence reinforces the need to protect and care for women who report any type of violence.

This paper aims to evaluate gender and racial inequalities in the access and use of health services in Brazil Based on the 2019 National Health Survey (PNS). Its main objective is to understand how white, black, or brown men and women seek medical care in Primary Health Care, the gateway to the Brazilian health system. Analyses from a gender perspective show that cultural and social patterns affect individual actions and choices and mainly access to and use of health services. The results also show that men and women reproduce the expected gender behavior, socially and culturally constructed, which impacts their self-assessment of health status, care, and their exposure to the risk of disease and death. The intersectional analysis reveals that racial inequalities are aligned with those observed between men and women, exponentiating vulnerabilities for self-identified black or brown people, reflecting the structural socioeconomic inequalities of Brazilian society. In this context, the universality and integrality recommended in the Unified Health System contribute as a public policy to the guarantee of rights, equalization of opportunities, and adequate access to equal care.