[Mortality and socioeconomic deprivation in the census tracts and districts of Barcelona]

To analyze the association between socioeconomic deprivation and mortality in the census tracts of Barcelona and the distinct patterns of this association in the districts.

We performed an ecological, cross sectional study based on the 1,812 census tracts and the 10 districts of Barcelona, using socioeconomic variables obtained from the 1991 census and mortality data for 1987-1995. A deprivation index was created through component analysis. Descriptive analyses were performed and multivariate Poisson regression models were adjusted.

The greater the socioeconomic deprivation in the census tracts, the higher the mortality. The quartile with the greatest deprivation had a relative risk (RR) of mortality of 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-1.27) in males and an RR of 1.05 (95% CI, 1.02-1.07) in females (compared with the quartile of census tracts with the lowest deprivation). This association varied according to district: in the old inner-city district (district 1), which had the highest mortality and the greatest deprivation, the RR was 1.57 (95% CI, 1.21-2.05) for males, while in district 8, which also has considerable deprivation, mortality was lower.

Analysis of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in census tracts in an urban area highlights special areas of risk not observed in analysis of districts.