Are Wealthier Times Healthier in Cities? Economic Fluctuations and Mortality in Urban Areas of Latin America

Objective: To analyze the relationship between economic conditions and mortality in cities of Latin America. Methods: We analyzed data from 340 urban areas in ten countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and El Salvador. We used panel models adjusted for space-invariant and time-invariant factors to examine whether changes in area gross domestic product (GDP) per capita were associated with changes in mortality. Results: We find procyclical oscillations in mortality (i.e., higher mortality with higher GDP per capita) for total mortality, female population, populations of 0-9 and 45+ years, mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, malignant neoplasms, diabetes mellitus, respiratory infections and road traffic injuries. Homicides appear countercyclical, with higher levels at lower GDP per capita. Conclusions: Our results reveal large heterogeneity, but in our sample of cities, for specific population groups and causes of death, mortality oscillates procyclically, increasing when GDP per capita increases. In contrast we find few instances of countercyclical mortality.

Automated summary

The study on Latin American cities uncovered a relationship between mortality rates and economic conditions. Generally, mortality rates increase with higher GDP per capita, whereas homicides show an opposite trend at lower GDP per capita levels.