Suicide attempts: epidemiologic trends towards geoprocessing

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Background:

• Suicide attempts pose a significant public health challenge.
• Understanding the spatial distribution of suicide attempts is crucial for targeted prevention.
• Previous studies have highlighted the need for geoprocessing techniques in analyzing suicide data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map the occurrence areas of suicide attempts in Campina Grande county.
• To identify "hot spot" areas with increased suicide risk using geoprocessing.
• To inform public policy for suicide attempt prevention and control of toxic substance marketing.

Main Methods:

• An ecological and exploratory study design was employed.
• Geoprocessing techniques were utilized to geo-reference confirmed cases of self-poisoning (2010-2013).
• Kernel density estimation was used to identify spatial clusters (hot spots).

Main Results:

• A total of 446 suicide attempts were geo-referenced, with an incidence of 120 per 100,000 inhabitants.
• The majority of cases involved females (66.4%) and individuals under 30 years old (62.3%).
• Hot spot areas showed a significantly increased suicide risk (Relative Risk = 1.38, p=0.0029), with an estimated incidence of 165 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Conclusions:

• Identification of "hot spots" is effective in pinpointing areas with elevated suicide attempt risk.
• Integrating spatial analysis with neighborhood living conditions can guide public policy priorities.
• Targeted interventions in identified high-risk areas are essential for suicide prevention efforts.