The Relevance of Color/Race Data in Measuring and Reducing Inequalities and Institutional Racism in the Brazilian Health Services

Aims: This research analyses the coverage and reliability of the self-declaration of the race/color
item, with data sourced from the national information system for health in Brazil - DATASUS, and from
questionnaires completed by health personnel working in the municipality of Camacari, in the state of
Bahia in Brazil.
Methodology: Methods included a descriptive analysis of administrative data from national sources
and a survey distributed at the municipal level.
Results: The information available in the national health system regarding race-color has very low
coverage and poor quality, and that the municipality doesn’t have a local database with which to orient
management and policies. The main factors explaining the low coverage and quality of data on
race/color are the diversity and heterogeneity of health service forms, a lack of integration of the
information in health, the resistance of health personnel to ask and to complete data on race/color,
and the absence of a local database. The questionnaire distributed to health workers shows that there
is resistance in attitudes and practices that hinders the improvement of the coverage and quality of
this item.
Conclusion: These limitations to collecting racial information, which is fundamental for the planning
and expansion of social policies and health actions, contribute to the maintaining of the situation of
discrimination and exclusion of black people in health, since they camouflage the racial peculiarities
and diversities that exist in the country and make implementing policies and actions to reduce racial
inequalities difficult.