Analysis of the relationship between life expectancy and social determinants in a north-eastern region of Brazil, 2010-2017

Submitted: 24 April 2018
Accepted: 9 October 2018
Published: 12 November 2018
Abstract Views: 25327
PDF: 1116
HTML: 172
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

The process of population aging is a worldwide reality becoming a global public health challenge. Although population aging is especially noticeable in more developed regions, there has also been a significant advance in the quantity of elderly people in areas with unfavourable socioeconomic indicators, and a rapid growth in countries with a low level of economic development. This article presents an analysis based on spatial autocorrelation of the relationship between life expectancy and social determinants in a north-eastern region of Brazil. An ecological study was conducted using the secondary data of social, demographic, and health indicators of elderly people collected in the Brazilian Demographic Census of the 75 municipalities of the state of Sergipe. Spatial autocorrelation was evaluated using the Moran global index and the local indicators of space association. Multiple linear regression models were used to identify the relationship between life expectancy and social determinants. The South-eastern region of the state presented clusters with all indicators pointing to acceptable lifestyles, whereas the municipalities of the north-western and far-eastern regions were characterized by values demonstrating precarious living conditions. The high dependency ratio, illiteracy rate, and unemployment rate among elderly people had a negative impact on life expectancy. The evidence confirms that there is an autocorrelation between social determinants and life expectancy, indicating that the worse the social, economic, and health indicators are, the lower the life expectancy. This finding indicates the need to redirect public policies and formulate strategies aimed at reducing social and health inequalities.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

How to Cite

Duque, A. M., Peixoto, M. V., Lima, S. V., Goes, M. A. O., Santos, A. D., Araújo, K. C. G. M., & Nunes, M. A. P. (2018). Analysis of the relationship between life expectancy and social determinants in a north-eastern region of Brazil, 2010-2017. Geospatial Health, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2018.702