Introduction:

Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of premature mortality and disability in the world.

Objective:

To describe the trend pattern and to explore which risk factors were associated with mortality rates in Colombia from 2008 to 2012.

Materials and methods:

A descriptive study was conducted to analyze mortality rate trends from the official vital statistics (death certificates) from 2008 to 2012.

Results:

Between 2008 and 2012 there were 727,146 deaths due to non-communicable diseases, and 58.5% of them occurred among men aged less than 75 years. The mortality rate during the study period was 319.5 deaths per 100,000 people. The trend showed a statistically significant decline in mortality rates (-3%) across the country. For each woman who died due to external causes (i.e., not related to illness or old age), five men died under the same circumstances (OR=5,295; IC 95%: 5,143-5,454). The five most important causes of mortality were heart diseases, injuries due to aggressions, malignant tumors, chronic lower respiratory diseases and road traffic accidents.

Conclusion:

The cause of death differed significantly by sex and age. The main causes of death in Colombia were heart diseases and injuries (homicide). Mortality was higher among men of all ages than among women, but 15 to 45 year-old males were more likely to die due to external causes.

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