Socioeconomic inequality and cancer mortality: an ecological study in Brazil

• Published in: Revista brasileira em promoção da saúde = Brazilian journal in health promotion 2016-01, Vol.29 (3), p.350
• Main Authors: Isabelle Ribeiro Barbosa, Íris do Céu Clara Costa, Bernal Pérez, María Milagros, Dyego Leandro Bezerra de Souza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cancer; Correlation; Ecological monitoring; Ecological studies; Income; Indicators; Inhabitants; Life expectancy; Mortality; Municipalities; Regression analysis; Social factors; Socioeconomic factors
• ISSN: 1806-1222; 1806-1230
• DOI: 10.5020/18061230.2016.p350

Objective: To analyze the socioeconomic inequalities and cancer mortality in Brazil. Methods: The study analyzed the deaths for cancer occurred from 2010 to 2012, obtained in the Mortality Information System. A total of 268 Brazilian municipalities presenting population over 80,000 inhabitants and better quality of information were selected. Socioeconomic indicators for the year 2000 were taken from the Atlas Brazil 2013. Pearson correlation and simple linear regression were applied to investigate the correlation between socioeconomic indicators and cancer mortality. Results: There was a negative correlation with illiteracy (r=-0.509) and the Gini coefficient (r=-0.197); the correlation was positive with the income indicator (r=0.414) and life expectancy (r=0.537); simple linear regression showed that there is a weak association between cancer mortality and the socioeconomic variables assessed. Conclusion: The cancer mortality analysis in Brazilian municipalities showed that the highest mortality rates were recorded in the municipalities with the best socioeconomic conditions, expressed by indicators of income and life expectancy.