Educational inequalities in traffic deaths during fluctuations of the economy in four Argentinian provinces, 1999–2013

LEVEAU, C.M.; TAPIA GRANADOS, J.A.

PUBLIC HEALTH (NATURE)

W B SAUNDERS CO LTD

Año: 2019 vol. 175 p. 28 - 35

0033-3506

Objectives: The objective of this study is to analyse how educational differentials in traffic mortality changed during economic fluctuations in four Argentinian provinces. Study design: Retrospective quantitative analysis of secondary data. Methods: Data on fatalities due to traffic injuries (all traffic injuries, pedestrians/cyclists, motorcyclists, car users and unspecified road users) in four Argentinian provinces between 1999 and 2013 were linked to population data and information on the educational level of the deceased to compute mortality rates by educational level. Negative binomial models were estimated using age, sex, year, province of residence, year of economic expansion or recession and educational level as explanatory variables. Results: Annual traffic mortality differentials by educational level were lower during the period of economic crisis. An absolute increase in traffic mortality was observed in individuals of low educational level during economic expansions, but here, there were no traffic mortality differences for individuals of medium to high educational level. The educational gap in motorcyclist mortality widened during the period of quick economic expansion between 2005 and 2013. Conclusions: We found less educational inequality in traffic mortality during an economic crisis in a developing country. However, the educational inequalities for different subtypes of traffic mortality show different patterns of evolution during the cycle of economic expansion and recession. Considering deaths due to traffic injuries, economic growth seems to be riskier for individuals of lower educational level compared with those of medium-high educational level.