Temporal-spatial analysis of mortality from cardiovascular diseases in the State of Ceará, Brazil, between 2009-2019

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To analyze the spatial distribution of mortality from cardiovascular diseases in the municipalities of the state of Ceará, Brazil, between 2009-2019.

Methods:

This is an ecological study with a spatial focus on the state of Ceará, considering the period from 2009 to 2019. Death data from the Brazilian Mortality Information System and population data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics were used to calculate crude and standardized mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases. Temporal analysis was carried out using the Joinpoint Regression Program 4.9.0 software and spatial analysis of the municipalities’ average mortality. The values were smoothed by the local empirical Bayesian method using QGIS 3.16. For spatial clusters, the Global and Local Moran Index was used through Moran Map and LISA Map, with analyses carried out in TerraView 4.2.2.

Results:

A total of 132,145 deaths from cardiovascular diseases were recorded in the period, with an average increase of 3% per year. Higher mortality rates were observed in men, people aged ≥80 years, mixed-race ethnicity/skin color, married, and with lower level of education. There was the formation of clusters of municipalities with high mortality rates in the regions of Vale do Jaguaribe, Sertão Central, Centro Sul, Sertão dos Inhamuns and Serra da Ibiapaba.

Conclusion:

This study identified municipalities with high mortality and exposed the need for strategies aligned with the reality and particularities of these locations.

Keywords:
Cardiovascular diseases. Mortality. Spatial analysis. Ecological studies. Epidemiology