Burn deaths in Brazil: a social issue

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• Burn injuries, including thermal (TB) and electrical burns (EB), represent a significant public health concern globally.
• Socioeconomic and geographic factors are increasingly recognized as critical determinants influencing health outcomes, including mortality from external causes like burns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between socioeconomic and geographic variables in Brazilian municipalities and mortality rates due to thermal and electrical burns.
• To identify specific factors contributing to burn mortality across different socioeconomic strata in Brazil.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from Brazil's Mortality Information System and municipal indicators from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
• Employed statistical analysis to examine the impact of variables such as the Human Development Index (HDI), Gini index, and urbanization percentage on burn mortality.
• Calculated relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for specific time periods (2000-2009 and 2010-2019).

Main Results:

• A significant association was found between higher burn mortality and lower Human Development Index (HDI) and higher Gini index across both study periods for both EB and TB.
• The percentage of the population living in urban areas was also significantly correlated with increased mortality from both thermal and electrical burns.
• Relative risks indicated a substantial increase in mortality associated with these socioeconomic indicators over time.

Conclusions:

• Lower socioeconomic conditions are strongly correlated with a higher risk of death from thermal and electrical burns in Brazil.
• Burn mortality is a public health issue exacerbated by social inequalities, underscoring the need for targeted interventions in vulnerable populations.
• Addressing social determinants of health is crucial for reducing burn-related fatalities.