Deforestation drives extensive hospitalizations for respiratory diseases: spatial evidence in the Brasilian Amazon

Abstract

This study evaluates the conditioning factors of hospitalizations for respiratory diseases for the Legal Amazon, at the municipal level, in the period 2000-2019, using models addressing spatial dependence. The results of the Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis suggest the existence of “clusters” in a High-High pattern in the Arc of Deforestation region and in the northeastern part of that region. The econometric results indicated the presence of unobserved effects, being more adequate the estimation by the Spatial Autocorrelation Model (SAC). The variables deforestation, population density, Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions and rural credit had a positive impact, while the capital-labor ratio and precipitation had a negative impact.