The objective of this study is to outline the epidemiological profile of homicides in the city of São Leopoldo and compare it to that of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is a descriptive epidemiological study that used data provided by the Datasus/Ministry of Health for the period from 1996 to 2005. The indicators brought out by the study were the following: homicide standardized death rates; age-specific homicide death rates; homicide death rates according to race; and the percentage of deaths caused by firearms. Homicide mortality rates were calculated for cities of Rio Grande do Sul with more than 50,000 inhabitants for 1996-1999 and 2000-2005. Homicide death rates in the municipality are two-fold the state's rates. The most affected segment was young adults; and the male to female ratio was 8.4 in Rio Grande do Sul and 9.4 in São Leopoldo. 72% of homicides were caused by firearms in Rio Grande do Sul and 86% in São Leopoldo. The risk of dying due to homicide was 44% greater in São Leopoldo's black population. Homicide is an important cause of premature death in RS, and São Leopoldo displays an even more alarming profile-higher rates, greater percentage of firearm use and even higher rates among black youth, when compared with the state as a whole.
Homicide; Mortality; Violence; Mortality rate; Descriptive epidemiology
