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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Maria Guadalupe Vega-Lopez, PhD, Guillermo J. Gonzalez-Perez, PhD, Armando Muñoz de la Torre, MPH, Ana Valle-Barbosa, MPH, and Pedro P. Quintero-Vega. Center for Health, Population and Human Development Studies, University of Guadalajara, Mexico, Modena 1134. Colonia Providencia. Sector Hidalgo, Guadalajara, Jalisco, 44630, Mexico, 52(33)36411119, ggonzal@udgserv.cencar.udg.mx
For the World Health Organization, the violence is a priority of public health; in particular, Mexico presents high rates of homicides; however, the homicide rate varies notably among the states, aspect this that has scarcely been investigated. This study seeks to identify the socioeconomic variables that better they explain the differences in homicide rates for states in 1995. The basic information for this study has been obtained from official sources. For each state triennial homicide rates, centered in 1995, were calculated; rates were adjusted by age, using as standard the population structure from Mexico in 1995; through the use of the multiple regression analysis (stepwise method) the variables that better explained the interstate variations in the homicide rates were identified. The variables included in the regression equation are "social marginalization index" (partial r2 0.4106, p=0.00032), "destroyed hectares of marijuana and opiate per 1,000 inhabitants" (partial r2 0.4371, p=0.00017), “illiteracy in population over 15 years old” (partial r2 0.3628, p=0.00089) and “confiscated fire guns per 1,000 inhabitants” (partial r2 0.1546, p=0.04249). The found regression equation explains 67% (adjusted r2 ) of the interstate variation of the homicide rates. The results show that poverty and drug traffic are key elements to understand the spatial variations of the homicide mortality in Mexico and demonstrate the necessity to act in a coordinated, interdisciplinary and intersectorial way to implement policies and programs guided to reduces the homicide rate in the country and the interstate differences.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Homicide, Developing Countries
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.