Spatial patterns and epidemiological characterization of suicides in the Chapecó micro-region, Santa Catarina, Brazil: an ecological study, 1996-2018

Abstract

Objective: to identify spatial clusters of suicide and its epidemiological characteristics in the Chapecó (SC) micro-region from 1996 to 2018. Methods: this was an exploratory ecological study, using data from the Mortality Information System; specific suicide rates and relative risks (RR) were calculated with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI); the scan statistic was used for spatial analysis. Results: there were 1,034 suicides (13.7/100,000 inhabitants), with a male/female ratio of 3.79; the ≥ 60 age group was at higher risk for both sexes; a high risk cluster was found in the southwest region (RR = 1.57) and a low risk cluster in the southeast region, including Chapecó itself (RR = 0.68); risk of suicide among widowed (RR = 3.05; 95%CI 1.99;4.67), separated (RR = 2.48; 95%CI 1.44;4.27), and married (RR = 1.97; 95%CI 1.54;2.51) people was higher than among single people. The main methods were hanging (81.2%) and firearms (9.7%). Conclusion: there was a higher risk of suicide in the elderly, male and widowed people. Hanging was the most frequent method and risk clustering was found in the southwest.