title: [Thirty years of homicides in Medellín, Colombia, 1979-2008].
abstract: In Medellín, Colombia, homicides have been the leading cause of death since 1986. Their proportion among total deaths increased from 3.5% in 1976 to 42% in 1991 and subsequently decreased to 7% in 2006. From 1979 to 2008, there were 81,166 homicides (annual mean, 2,706). The homicide rates per 100,000 inhabitants were 44 in 1979 and 47 in 2008, with a peak of 388 in 1991. The current article analyzes homicides in 30 years (1979-2008) using a random sample of 3,414 forensic autopsy reports. The vast majority of victims were males, 92.8% (95%CI: 91.8%; 93.6%), mostly low-income young people from 27 to 33 years of age. Most homicides involved revenge, fights, or armed robberies. The study showed different periods in the homicide epidemic: the first 15 years, with a rapid increase, the second, with a steady decline until 1998, and the third, with a fluctuating but overall steep decline in the last 10 years. This long-term study on violence in Medellin opens possibilities for analyzing and identifying more consistent policies for intervention.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. higarcia@quimbaya.udea.edu.co
authors.forename: Héctor Iván
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Carlos Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Giraldo
authors.forename: María Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: María del Pilar
authors.initials: Mdel P
authors.lastname: Pastor
authors.forename: Marleny
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cardona
authors.forename: Clara Eugenia
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Tapias
authors.forename: Deiman
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cuartas
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Claudia Yaneth
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Vera
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002947:Cities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011640:Public Policy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012924:Social Conditions; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult