Spatial distribution of mortality by homicide and social inequalities according to race/skin color in an intra-urban Brazilian space

Abstract

Introduction: In Brazil, deaths by external causes rank first in the mortality statistics. Nevertheless, studies which investigate the relationship between mortality by external causes and race/skin color are scarce. Objectives: To evaluate the relative contribution of race/skin color to the spatial distribution of mortality by homicide in Salvador, state of Bahia, Brazil, in the period 1998 -2003. Material and Methods: This is a spatial aggregate study including secondary data on 5,250 subjects, using a unit of analysis called the "weighting area" (WA). Annual average death rates by homicide were estimated. The Global and Local Moran Index were used to evaluate the presence of spatial autocorrelation and the Conditional Auto Regressive (CAR) model was employed to evaluate the referred effect, using the R statistical package. Results: Global and Local Moran's I tests were significant. CAR regression showed that the predicted mortality rate increases when there is a growth in the proportion of black males aged between 15 and 49 years. Geometrically weighted regression (GWR) showed a very small variation of the local coefficients for all predictors. Conclusion: We demonstrated that the interrelation between race, violence and space is a phenomenon which results from a long process of social inequality. Understanding these interactions requires interdisciplinary efforts that contribute to advancement of knowledge that leads to more specific Public Health interventions.

Fatores associados aos indicadores de necessidades em saúde de homens adultos

“…However, the finding of this study -that is, the highest proportion of individuals reporting morbidity was white -differs from other studies that have shown significant associations between black skin and causes of morbidity and mortality, mainly external causes. (21,22) Although there is influence of self-perceived health over reports of presence of morbidity, we cannot justify the association of skin color with morbidity from this variable, because the association between this perception and the skin color was not identified in present study and in another study conducted in southern Brazil. (9) In general, this study contribute to the organization of health services by identifying those factors associated with indicators of health needs.…”

Buprenorphine and methadone treatment for opioid dependence by income, ethnicity and race of neighborhoods in New York City

“…ZIP codes were aggregated based on similarities in ZIP code census data on race, ethnicity and percent with income below two times the poverty level (Araujo et al, 2010; Bocquier et al, 2011; Chau, 2010; Smith et al, 2010) resulting in areas in which persons are homogeneous with respect to income and race/ethnicity. These areas are called social areas (SAs) as they capture social features of a population.…”

Variation in Use of Buprenorphine and Methadone Treatment by Racial, Ethnic, and Income Characteristics of Residential Social Areas in New York City

“…Social areas are residential areas in which persons have similar living standards, ethnic backgrounds, and life-style 24,25,26,27 . For this study, ZIP codes were aggregated into social areas based on similarities in ZIP code racial/ethnic and income characteristics.…”