Relationship between social development indicators and mortality due to Diabetes Mellitus in Brazil: a space-time analysis

OBJECTIVE: to identify the space-time pattern of mortality due to Diabetes Mellitus in Brazil, as well as its relationship with social development indicators. METHOD: an ecological and time series nationwide study based on secondary data from the Unified Health System Informatics Department, with space-time analysis and inclusion of indicators in non-spatial and spatial regression models. The following was performed: overall mortality rate calculation; characterization of the sociodemographic and regional profiles of the death cases by means of descriptive and time analysis; and elaboration of thematic maps. RESULTS: a total of 601,521 deaths related to Diabetes Mellitus were recorded in Brazil, representing a mean mortality rate of 29.5/100,000 inhabitants. The states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas and Sergipe, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul presented high-high clusters. By using regression models, it was verified that the Gini index (β=11.7) and the Family Health Strategy coverage (β=3.9) were the indicators that most influenced mortality due to Diabetes Mellitus in Brazil. CONCLUSION: in Brazil, mortality due to Diabetes presents an overall increasing trend, revealing itself as strongly associated with places that have worse social indicators.