title: The public health context of violence in Colombia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Among the countries of the Americas, Colombia has the highest level of deaths due to homicides and armed conflict. The objective of this research was to combine and contrast information from various sources on deaths due to violence in Colombia in order to identify major trends in violence in the country and to compare those trends with those in other nations of the Americas.
  
  
  METHODS
  We drew together information from a wide array of sources, including the Government of Colombia, Colombian forensic institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and international research centers. We considered the impact of the violence on mortality as well as in such areas as nonfatal injuries, displacement of persons, and kidnappings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While there have been many deaths in Colombia directly related to military conflict, there have been many more deaths and injuries as an indirect result of war. The highest levels of deaths directly related to violence occurred during the 1990-1995 period. Although deaths due directly to armed conflict declined in the late 1990s, the related events of kidnappings and displacement did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Efforts to reduce the violence-related suffering in Colombia must consider both direct and indirect causes of mortality as well as nonfatal outcomes such as kidnappings and displacement.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University, School of Nursing, New York, New York, USA. rmg3@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garfield
authors.forename: Claudia Patricia
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Llanten Morales
mesh_terms: D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012940:Social Problems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*