Inequalities in Violent Death across Income Levels among Young Males and Females in Countries of the Americas

Oscar J. Mujica, Dihui Zhang, Yi Hu, Isabel C. Espinosa, Nelson Araneda, Anca Dragomir, George Luta and Antonio Sanhueza ()
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Oscar J. Mujica: Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC 20037, USA
Dihui Zhang: Department of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Biomathematics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
Yi Hu: Department of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Biomathematics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
Isabel C. Espinosa: T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Nelson Araneda: Department of Education, University of La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile
Anca Dragomir: Department of Oncology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
George Luta: Department of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Biomathematics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
Antonio Sanhueza: Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC 20037, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 7, 1-11

Abstract: Background: Violent deaths (i.e., those due to road traffic injury, homicide, and suicide) are among the most important causes of premature and preventable mortality in young people. This study aimed at exploring inequalities in violent death across income levels between males and females aged 10 to 24 years from the Americas in 2015, the SDG baseline year. Methods: In a cross-sectional ecological study design, eleven standard summary measures of health inequality were calculated separately for males and females and for each cause of violent death, using age-adjusted mortality rates and average income per capita for 17 countries, which accounted for 87.9% of the target population. Results: Premature mortality due to road traffic injury and homicide showed a pro-poor inequality pattern, whereas premature mortality due to suicide showed a pro-rich inequality pattern. These inequalities were statistically significant ( p < 0.001), particularly concentrated among young males, and dominated by homicide. The ample array of summary measures of health inequality tended to generate convergent results. Conclusions: Significant inequalities in violent death among young people seems to be in place across countries of the Americas, and they seem to be socially determined by both income and gender. These findings shed light on the epidemiology of violent death in young people and can inform priorities for regional public health action. However, further investigation is needed to confirm inequality patterns and to explore underlying mechanisms, age- and sex-specific vulnerabilities, and gender-based drivers of such inequalities.

Keywords: road traffic injuries; homicide; suicide; mortality; heath status disparities; gender; social determinants of health; health equity; the Americas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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