Local communities, health and the sustainable development goals: the case of Ribeirão das Neves, Brazil

Abstract Health is part of the Sustainable Development Agenda adopted by the United Nations and local communities have an important role in the definition of their own development needs and in the discussion of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals. A field survey using a validated questionnaire was applied to 336 extremely poor households in a Brazilian municipality. The survey was a cross-sectional and observational study and included interviews with healthcare professionals and social workers. Drug/alcohol abuse was pointed as the major problem to obtain improvements in quality of life. The prevalence of disability was 14%. A reduction in rates of deaths caused by crimes and prevention of disabilities should be included as health targets under the SDGs.