Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in Barcelona: A study based on census tracts (MEDEA Project)

The aim of this study is to describe inequalities in socioeconomic indicators and in mortality by sex in the census tracts of Barcelona city during the period 1996-2003. The results show that there is excess mortality in coastal and northern areas. This distribution is similar to that of socioeconomic deprivation and therefore there is an association between mortality and socioeconomic indicators, not only for total mortality but also for the specific causes of death studied. This type of analysis can be useful for planning of public health policy since it allows small areas with high mortality risk to be detected.