Inequalities and Impact of Socioeconomic-Cultural Factors in Suicide Rates Across Italy

Background: Suicide is a major cause of premature death in Italy and occurs at different rates in the various regions. Aims: The aim of the present study was to provide a comprehensive overview of suicide in the Italian population aged 15 years and older for the years 1980–2006. Methods: Mortality data were extracted from the Italian Mortality Database. Results: Mortality rates for suicide in Italy reached a peak in 1985 and declined thereafter. The different patterns observed by age and sex indicated that the decrease in the suicide rate in Italy was initially the result of declining rates in those aged 45+ while, from 1997 on, the decrease was attributable principally to a reduction in suicide rates among the younger age groups. It was found that socioeconomic factors underlined major differences in the suicide rate across regions. Conclusions: The present study confirmed that suicide is a multifaceted phenomenon that may be determined by an array of factors. Suicide prevention should, therefore, be targeted to identifiable high-risk sociocultural groups in each country.

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Sex-specific and age-specific suicide mortality by method in 58 countries between 2000 and 2015

Injury Prevention ◽

10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043601 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. injuryprev-2019-043601 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yue Wu ◽

David C Schwebel ◽

Yun Huang ◽

Peishan Ning ◽

Peixia Cheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Binomial ◽

Age Groups ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Suicide Mortality ◽

Mortality Data ◽

Suicide Method ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Males And Females ◽

Binomial Models ◽

Country Specific

ObjectiveTo examine recent changes in sex-specific and age-specific suicide mortality by method across countries.MethodsUsing mortality data from the WHO mortality database, we compared sex-specific, age-specific and country-specific suicide mortality by method between 2000 and 2015. We considered seven major suicide methods: poisoning by pesticides, all other poisoning, firearms and explosives, hanging, jumping from height, drowning and other methods. Changes in suicide mortality were quantified using negative binomial models among three age groups (15–44 years, 45–64 years, and 65 years and above) for males and females separately.ResultsSuicide mortality declined substantially for both sexes and all three age groups studied in 37 of the 58 included countries between 2000 and 2015. Males consistently had much higher suicide mortality rates than females in all 58 countries. Hanging was the most common suicide method in the majority of 58 countries. Sex-specific suicide mortality varied across 58 countries significantly for all three age groups. The spectrum of suicide method generally remained stable for 28 of 58 included countries; notable changes occurred in the other 30 countries, including especially Colombia, Finland and Trinidad and Tobago.ConclusionLikely as a result of prevention efforts as well as sociodemographic changes, suicide mortality decreased substantially in 37 of the included 58 countries between 2000 and 2015. Further actions are needed to explore specific drivers of the recent changes (particularly for increases in eight countries), to understand substantial disparities in suicide rates across countries, and to develop interventions to reduce suicide rates globally.

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Trends in cancer mortality during the 20th century in Australia

Australian Health Review ◽

10.1071/ah070557 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 557 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rosanne Freak-Poli ◽

Peng Bi ◽

Janet E Hiller

Keyword(s):

Cancer Mortality ◽

Moving Average ◽

Age Groups ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Mortality Data ◽

Past Century ◽

Death Rates ◽

The Past ◽

Younger Age ◽

Modifiable Lifestyle Factors

An epidemiological study was conducted, using annual cancer mortality data over the period 1907 to 1998, to explore change in Australian cancer mortality. A 3-year moving average mortality was calculated to minimise the annual fluctuations over the study period. The results suggested that overall cancer mortality rose slightly over the past century, with a small decrease in more recent years. The male and female cancer mortality rates diverged over time. Younger age groups had low and stable death rates, 35?59 years age groups demonstrated decreased rates, and older age groups had increased rates over the study period. Modifiable lifestyle factors and other possible reasons for the changes were explored.

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Ethnicity and Elderly Suicide in Singapore

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610295002067 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 309-317 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Soo Meng Ko ◽

Ee Heok Kua

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Elderly People ◽

Suicide Rate ◽

Age Groups ◽

The Elderly ◽

Sociocultural Factors ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Younger Age ◽

The Mean ◽

Elderly Suicide

In the cosmopolitan city of Singapore the annual suicide rates in the general population from 1985 to 1991 remained fairly constant, with a mean of 15.3 per 100,000. It was highest among Indians (19.5 per 100,000), followed by Chinese (16.2 per 100,000) and Malays (2.3 per 100,000). The suicide rates were higher in elderly people (aged 65 years and over) than in younger age groups (10 to 64 years) and in males than in females. For the elderly, the mean annual suicide rate for this period was 52.0 per 100,000. However, it was highest among Chinese, with 59.3 per 100,000, followed by Indians at 33.9 per 100,000, and, again, lowest among Malays, with 3.0 per 100,000. Possible sociocultural factors are proposed to account for differences in suicide rates among these ethnic groups.

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82 The Significant Burden of Burn Injuries in the Middle East: An Epidemiological Study of Nineteen Countries over 27 Years

Journal of Burn Care & Research ◽

10.1093/jbcr/irab032.086 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S56-S57

Author(s):

Zachary J Collier ◽

Yasmina Samaha ◽

Priyanka Naidu ◽

Katherine J Choi ◽

Christopher H Pham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Age Groups ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Burn Injuries ◽

Burn Care ◽

Life Years ◽

Significant Burden ◽

Mortality Ratio ◽

Incident Cases ◽

Age And Sex

Abstract Introduction Despite ongoing improvements in burn care around the world, the burden of burn morbidity and mortality has remined a significant challenge in the Middle East due to ongoing conflicts, economic crises, social disparities, and dangerous living conditions. Here, we examine the epidemiology of burn injuries in the Middle East (ME) relative to socio-demographic index (SDI), age, and sex in order to better define regional hotspots that may benefit most from sustainability and capacity building initiatives. Methods Computational modeling from the 2017 Global Burden of Disease (GBD17) database was used to extrapolate burn data about the nineteen countries that define the ME. Using the GBD17, the yearly incidence, deaths, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2017 were defined with respect to age and sex as rates of cases, deaths, and years per 100,000 persons, respectively. Mortality ratio represents the percentage of deaths relative to incident cases. Data from 2017 was spatially mapped using heat-mapping for the region. Results Over 27 years in the ME, an estimated 18,289,496 burns and 308,361 deaths occurred causing 24.5 million DALYs. Burn incidence decreased by 5% globally but only 1% in the ME. Although global incidence continued to decline, most ME countries exhibit steady increases since 2004. Compared to global averages, higher mortality rates (2.8% vs 2.0%) and DALYs (205 vs 152 years) were observed in the Middle East during this time although the respective disparities narrowed by 95% and 42% by 2017. Yemen had the worst death and DALY rates all 27 years with 2 and 2.2 times the ME average, respectively. Sudan had the highest morality ratio (3.7%) for most of the study, twice the ME average (1.8%), followed by Yemen at 3.6%. Sex-specific incidence, deaths, and DALYs in the ME were higher compared to the global cohorts. ME women had the worst rates in all categories. With respect to age, all rates were worse in the ME age groups except in those under 5 years. Conclusions For almost three decades, ME burn incidence, deaths, DALYs, and mortality rates were consistently worse than global average. Despite the already significant differences for burn frequency and severity, especially in women and children, underreporting from countries who lack sufficient registry capabilities likely means that the rates are even worse than predicted.

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The effect of average temperature on suicide rates in five urban California counties, 1999–⁠2019: an ecological time series analysis

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-11001-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sierra Cheng ◽

Rebecca Plouffe ◽

Stephanie M. Nanos ◽

Mavra Qamar ◽

David N. Fisman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Suicide Rate ◽

Minimum Temperature ◽

The United States ◽

Additive Models ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Mortality Data ◽

Average Temperature ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Average Maximum

Abstract Background Suicide is among the top 10 leading causes of premature morality in the United States and its rates continue to increase. Thus, its prevention has become a salient public health responsibility. Risk factors of suicide transcend the individual and societal level as risk can increase based on climatic variables. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the association between average temperature and suicide rates in the five most populous counties in California using mortality data from 1999 to 2019. Methods Monthly counts of death by suicide for the five counties of interest were obtained from CDC WONDER. Monthly average, maximum, and minimum temperature were obtained from nCLIMDIV for the same time period. We modelled the association of each temperature variable with suicide rate using negative binomial generalized additive models accounting for the county-specific annual trend and monthly seasonality. Results There were over 38,000 deaths by suicide in California’s five most populous counties between 1999 and 2019. An increase in average temperature of 1 °C corresponded to a 0.82% increase in suicide rate (IRR = 1.0082 per °C; 95% CI = 1.0025–1.0140). Estimated coefficients for maximum temperature (IRR = 1.0069 per °C; 95% CI = 1.0021–1.0117) and minimum temperature (IRR = 1.0088 per °C; 95% CI = 1.0023–1.0153) were similar. Conclusion This study adds to a growing body of evidence supporting a causal effect of elevated temperature on suicide. Further investigation into environmental causes of suicide, as well as the biological and societal contexts mediating these relationships, is critical for the development and implementation of new public health interventions to reduce the incidence of suicide, particularly in the face increasing temperatures due to climate change.

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Births to Teens Older and Younger Than 17 Years in San Bernardino County and California

Californian Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.32398/cjhp.v2i2.1730 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 20-27

Author(s):

Kofi Adade Boafo ◽

Bruce Smith ◽

Naomi N Modeste ◽

Thomas J Prendergast, Jr

Keyword(s):

Infant Mortality ◽

Very Low Birth Weight ◽

Age Groups ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Teen Mothers ◽

Mortality Data ◽

San Bernardino County ◽

Low Birth Weight Infants ◽

Data Set ◽

San Bernardino

Objective: The purpose of this cohort, descriptive study was to attempt to understand the variables associated with discordant infant mortality among teenagers 17-19 years old whose infants demonstrated higher mortality than infants of teenagers who were younger than 17 years old in San Bernardino County, California. The intent was to elicit further research and/or define appropriate interventions for teen mothers within the age range 17-19 years. Methods: Data was abstracted from an electronic infant mortality data set, the State of California Birth Cohort File in which birth records from San Bernardino County for the period 1989 through 1993 were matched with mortality records. Results: The data showed that infants of white teens within the 17-19 age groups were more likely to have higher infant mortality rates when compared to their younger peers. Infant mortality rates among offspring of Hispanic and black teenage mothers showed no discrepancy between the two groups nor between county and state rates. Conclusions: Further study is needed to answer why infants of white teen mothers in the 17-19 age groups have higher mortality rates. There is also a need to review the services rendered to pregnant and parenting adolescents in San Bernardino County. In addition, very low birth weight infants were much more likely to die when born to older teens than when born to younger teens.

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Relationship of the high proportion of suicidal acts involving ingestion of pesticides to the low male-to-female ratio of suicide rates in China

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences ◽

10.1017/s2045796020000244 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yongsheng Tong ◽

Michael R. Phillips ◽

Yi Yin ◽

Zhichao Lan

Keyword(s):

Suicide Rate ◽

Suicidal Behaviour ◽

Case Fatality ◽

World Health ◽

Mortality Data ◽

Female Ratio ◽

Demographic Profile ◽

Female Suicide ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Male To Female

Abstract Aims The 2014 World Health Organization report on global suicide identified large differences in the male-to-female ratio of suicide rates between countries: most high-income countries (HICs) report ratios of 3:1 or higher while many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) – including China and India – report ratios of less than 1.5:1. Most authors suggest that gender-based social-cultural factors lead to higher rates of suicidal behaviour among women in LMICs and, thus, to relatively high female suicide rates. We aim to test an alternative hypothesis: differences in the method and case-fatality of suicidal behaviour – not differences in the rates of suicidal behaviour – are the main determinants of higher female suicide rates in LMICs. Methods A prospective registry of suicide attempts treated in all 14 general hospitals in a rural county in China was established and data from the registry were integrated with population and mortality data from the same county from 2009 to 2014. Results There were 160 suicides and 1010 medically-treated suicidal attempts in the county; 84% of female suicides and 58% of male suicides ingested pesticides while 73% of female attempted suicides and 72% of male attempted suicides ingested pesticides. The suicide rate (per 100 000 person-years of exposure) was 8.4 in females and 9.1 in males (M:F ratio = 1.08:1) while the incidence of ‘serious suicidal acts’ (i.e. those that result in death or received treatment in a hospital) was 81.5 in females and 47.7 in males (M:F ratio = 0.59:1). The case-fatality of serious suicidal acts was higher in males than in females (19 v. 10%), increased with age, was highest for violent methods (92%), intermediate for pesticide ingestion (13%) and lowest for other methods (5%). Conclusions The incidence of medically serious suicidal behaviour among females in rural China was similar to that reported in HICs, but the case-fatality was much higher, primarily because most suicidal acts involved the ingestion of pesticides, which had a higher case-fatality than methods commonly used by women in HICs. These findings do not support sociological explanations for the relatively high female suicide rate in China but, rather, suggest that gender-specific method choice and the case-fatality of different methods are more important determinants of the demographic profile of suicide rates. Further research that involves ongoing monitoring of the changing incidence, demographic profile and case-fatality of different suicidal methods in urban and rural parts of both LMICs and HICs is needed to confirm this hypothesis.

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Suicide time trends in Brazil from 1980 to 2005

Cadernos de Saúde Pública ◽

10.1590/s0102-311x2010000700008 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 26 (7) ◽

pp. 1293-1302 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Fabíola Stolf Brzozowski ◽

Giovana Bacilieri Soares ◽

Jucemar Benedet ◽

Antonio Fernando Boing ◽

Marco Aurélio Peres

Keyword(s):

Information System ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Suicide Rate ◽

Time Trends ◽

Age Groups ◽

Federal District ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Entire Period ◽

National Mortality ◽

The Mean

The aim of this study was to describe suicide time trends in Brazil from 1980 to 2005. The data were obtained from the National Mortality Information System and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Suicides rates were calculated for the entire period for the country as a whole and the 26 States and Federal District. Annual increases or decreases in mortality rates were also estimated using Prais-Winsten generalized linear regression. The mean suicide rate was 4.12 per 100,000 inhabitants (6.45/100,000 in men and 1.80/100,000 in women). The study showed an increasing suicide trend in men (+1.41% per year, 95%CI: 1.00;1.23) and a decreasing trend in women (-0.53% per year, 95%CI: -0.04;-1.02). Suicide rates increased with age. In general, for all age groups and for both genders, the highest rates were in São Paulo and in the States of the South and Central-West regions.

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Diarrhoea morbidity and mortality in older children, adolescents, and adults

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268810000592 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 138 (9) ◽

pp. 1215-1226 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

C. L. FISCHER WALKER ◽

R. E. BLACK

Keyword(s):

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Age Groups ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Morbidity And Mortality ◽

Mortality Data ◽

Older Children ◽

Incidence And Mortality ◽

Adolescents And Adults

SUMMARYDiarrhoea is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality yet diarrhoea specific incidence and mortality rates for older children, adolescents, and adults have not been systematically calculated for many countries. We conducted a systematic literature review to generate regional incidence rates by age and to summarize diarrhoea specific mortality rates for regions of the world with inadequate vital registration data. Diarrhoea morbidity rates range from 29·9 episodes/100 person-years for adults in the South East Asian region to 88·4 episodes/100 person-years in older children in the Eastern Mediterranean region and have remained unchanged in the last 30 years. Diarrhoea mortality rates decline as the child ages and remain relatively constant during adulthood. These data are critical for improving estimates worldwide and further highlight the need for improved diarrhoea specific morbidity and mortality data in these age groups.

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Seasonal variations: Risk factor of commiting suicide

Medicinski pregled ◽

10.2298/mpns1008531m ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 63 (7-8) ◽

pp. 531-534

Author(s):

Caslav Milic

Keyword(s):

Suicide Rate ◽

Seasonal Variations ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Age Groups ◽

High Rate ◽

Seasonal Influence ◽

Seasonal Characteristics ◽

Younger Age ◽

Exogenous Factors ◽

The Way

Introduction. Suicide is a conscious and deliberate extermination of one?s own life. Suicidal motives can be exogenous and endogenous. Exogenous factors are those from social and economic sphere, moral and political ones. There are numerous elements: demographic, socio-pathological, clinical-psychopathological and, in recent time, seasonal variations and meteorological characteristics are considered to be significant. Aim. On the basis of the analyzed literature the aim of this paper was to show the connection among seasonal variations, frequency and suicidal features. Methods. Numerous epidemiological analyses of suicide have found a connection between suicide and seasonal variations. The connection between seasonal variations and suicide regarding the way of committing it (violent and nonviolent one) has been checked. Seasons, particularly spring and summer, have influence on suicide, which confirms the fact that suicide rate in time corresponds with seasonal variations. Results. Suicides in younger age groups of both sexes show smaller asymmetry in seasonal distribution than in older groups. Seasonal influence on suicide rate has been proved to be bigger in men than in women. As for the connection between seasonal characteristics and suicide regarding the way of committing it (violent and nonviolent suicide) most studies show that suicide, but only the violent one, is in direct connection with seasons. Annual trend shows the peak from March to May (from early to late spring) for violent suicide. Conclusion. To have knowledge about the influence of seasonal variations on committing suicide is very important for taking adequate preventive measures, especially in those countries which have high rate of suicide.

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