The homicide mortality trend from 1979 to 2005 was analyzed for males aged 15 to 49, living in the State of Paraná, Brazil. Mortality rates (per 10(5) males aged 15 to 49) were calculated per Health District (HD) of residence. The mortality rates were then grouped in three-year periods and analyzed using the moving average, the relative annual variation (VA%) and the following strata: very low: < 40; low: 41-55; medium: 56-70; high: 71-85 and very high: > 86. For the periods between 1979-1981 to 1995-1997 the rates were considered very low and low (43.1 and 49.3 respectively) and towards the end of the period analyzed, 1999-2001 and 2003-2005, rates increased to medium and high (57.4 and 82.3 respectively). The rates increased in most HD, especially as of 2000, and primarily in Londrina (VA%: 24.9), Metropolitan Curitiba (VA%: 13.3) and Foz do Iguaçu (VA%: 7.6). The rates in the interior of the state, in the districts of Campo Mourão (VA%: 26.9), Cianorte (VA%: 25.4) and Umuarama (VA%: 17.7) also increased. The spread of violence towards the interior and the growing deterioration of social relations in large cities demonstrate the need of actions to reverse the upward trend in violence in the State of Paraná.
Homicide; Mortality; External causes; Violence; Health statistics; Epidemiology
