Management of Public Health: Analysis of the Conditioning Factors of Human Development

Abstract

The health policy’s long-term goal is to improve the quality of people’s lives. Through the Primary Health Care (PHC), it is possible to notice more clearly the relationship between these policies and human development. However, quality of life may be influenced by other factors, not only the health-´related ones. In Brazil, there are programmes for some of these different aspects. This study uses as its main theoretical basis the ones regarding Public Administration, Quality of Life and Primary Health Care, in order to determine which factors influence municipal human development, and, consequently, the quality of life. Therefore, in this work, we intend to use statistical techniques of regression and cluster in 761 cities of the State of Minas Gerais. Thus, it was possible to show that quality of life is influenced by various socioeconomic factors, worked out by many government areas, such as the Department of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger, the Ministry of Cities, and others. This supports the argument that the focus of public policy should be expanded in such a way that they work out the positive factors that influence the quality of life and correct other issues which influence negatively. This practice would allow for the warning of managers about the importance of primary care, such as attention to each city’s characteristics, in order to develop specific policies and programmes, so that the municipal administration can, similarly, provide better conditions for quality of life.