[Deaths from traffic injuries and social inequality in Colombia, 2019Mortalidade por acidentes de trânsito e desigualdades sociais na Colômbia, 2019].

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the association between social inequalities and deaths from traffic injuries in Colombia in 2019.

Methods: This ecological study evaluated the association between social inequalities and deaths from traffic injuries among users of the road transport system in Colombia in 2019, based on secondary information sources, using the department level as the administrative and geographic unit of study. A descriptive statistical analysis of health indicators and equity stratifiers was performed. Absolute and relative measures were used to determine social inequality gaps.

Results: In 2019, 6 580 people died from road traffic injuries in Colombia. The majority of them (82%) were men. The most critical user condition was being a motorcyclist. The age group with the most victims was approximately 30 years old. Departments with populations between 500 000 and 2 000 000 were the most represented. The most critical equity stratifier was the number of registered motorcycles per 100 000 population. Significant inequality gaps between departments were observed.

Conclusions: Inequalities in deaths from road traffic injuries in Colombia were observed. Policies and actions should focus on helping to reduce identified inequities, resulting in better quality of life, well-being, and health for the population.