Suicide mortality trend by age and sex in the Northeast region of Argentina during the period 1990-2020

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is a priority public health problem. Its monitoring is of interest for public policy planning. The objective was to describe suicide mortality trend in the Argentine Northeast region by age and sex during the period 1990-2020. METHODS: A descriptive and ecological design study was carried out with official data sources. Age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated. A Poisson segmented regression method was applied for trend analysis, and the annual percentage change (APC) of the mortality rate was used as a summary measure. RESULTS: The age-adjusted rate of suicide mortality for both sexes in the region varied between 1990 and 2020 from 5.48 to 8.03 per 100,000 inhabitants, with an upward trend of 0.9% on average per year. Differences by age and sex were observed. Both the magnitude of the rates and the APC were higher in males. There were changes in the situation profile throughout the period and, in general, mortality from suicide tended to increase in people aged up to 44 years, to remain stable in those aged 45 to 54 years, and to decrease in those aged 55 years and over. DISCUSSION: The results are consistent with changes in the suicide mortality profile already described. The importance of local situation analyses is highlighted.