Resumen

GRISALES, Hugo; CAICEDO, Beatriz; SERNA, Catalina  y  URIBE, Diana. Causes of mortality in young people and their contribution to the change in life expectancy. Cali, Colombia : 1989-1999. Colomb. Med. [online]. 2005, vol.36, n.2, pp.85-93. ISSN 1657-9534.

ANTECEDENTS: The situation of the youths’ health is an aspect to keep in mind when thinking on strategies. The socioeconomic and cultural changes demand more attention to this group. OBJETIVE: To estimate mortality among young people from Cali between 1989 and 1999 and the contribution of the causes of death on the change in life expectancy. METHODS: National Department of Statistic (DANE) provided the information and Excel and SPSS analyzed it. The causes of mortality grouped according to the list 6/67 of the Pan-American Organization of the Health (PAHO): Signs, symptoms and undefined affections, transferable illnesses, tumors, certain affections in the perinatal period, illnesses of the circulatory system, causes external and all the other illnesses. The rates of mortality were calculated by age, sex and individual causes; in order to build the charts of life, which were the support for the application of the Method of Pollard. This meted let us identify the causes of death that generated loss or gain in the hope of the youths’ life. RESULTS: There were prevalence of the external causes, the transferable illnesses and the tumors in the mortality of the youths. A total gain was observed in the hope of 4.49 year-old life. A loss was presented respectively in the hope of due juvenile life to the group of transferable illnesses and that of tumors, 0.07 and 0.28 years, while the groups of external causes and of the Circulatory System they associated respectively to a gain in the hope of juvenile life of 0.52 and 0,002 and years. CONCLUSION: Two important characteristics of the problems of health and the youths’ death are pointed out: most is prevents and they are also multidimensional, what results in the search of solutions with a multidisciplinary and sectoral focus. Some suggestions are made to prevent violence, to promote healthy lifestyles and to improve the conditions of life in young people.

Palabras clave : Life expectancy; Youth; Mortality; Pollard.

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