The trends of interpersonal violence burden in Latin America, 1990 to 2019: secondary data analysis from the global burden of disease study

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to analyse the trends of interpersonal violence (IV) in Latin America (LA) between 1990 and 2019 for females and males at a national level.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional descriptive study.

METHODS

Following the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study we report IV mortality, premature mortality, years lived with disability and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in LA by sex. To estimate the DALYs trends, we conducted a Joinpoint regression analysis.

RESULTS

Across all LA countries, IV burden was higher among males. Most of the IV burden was attributable to premature death, with a higher percentage in men than women. The burden of IV was most pronounced within the 15 to 39 age-groups in the majority of countries. Physical violence (PV) by firearm was the main cause of IV in LA, followed by PV by other means. Women in LA experienced at least twice as many sexual violence DALYs as men. IV in LA exhibited heterogeneous trends, with certain countries witnessing a significant decline in the IV DALYs rate, while others displayed a significant increase.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show the great heterogeneity of IV burden present in the region as the trends varied from one country to another. Policing and criminal justice institutions in LA have failed to reduce crime and violence. Thus, tailored preventive measures and public policies that account for the specific context and geographical areas where this phenomenon is prevalent are urgently needed.