Austerity policies in Brazil may affect violence related outcomes

Cien Saude Colet. 2019 Dec;24(12):4385-4394. doi: 10.1590/1413-812320182412.07422019. Epub 2019 Aug 29.

Abstract

Economic crisis is often managed with austerity policies. These measures seem to burden the population disproportionately, with the poorer being more affected. This paper aims to investigate health outcomes performance after the recent Brazilian crisis and gauge whether that pattern also emerged. Public domain data from 2010 to 2017 was used, and it was found that suicide and homicide rates increased after 2014, while mortality by road traffic injuries decreased at the same time. Furthermore, these trends were exacerbated in the North and Northeast regions and in the municipalities with the poorest quintiles of Human Development Index (HDI). The austerity policies followed by the Brazilian economic crisis may have influenced the mortality trends due to external causes, with a possible stronger impact in the North and Northeast regions and among less developed municipalities.

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Traffic / mortality*
  • Accidents, Traffic / trends
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Cause of Death
  • Economic Recession*
  • Homicide / statistics & numerical data*
  • Homicide / trends
  • Humans
  • Mortality / trends
  • Poverty Areas
  • Regression Analysis
  • Resource Allocation / economics*
  • Suicide / statistics & numerical data*
  • Suicide / trends
  • Time Factors
  • Violence