Abstract

Introduction:  Tuberculosis is an important public health problem that affects different geographical areas.

Objective:  To analyze the spatial distribution of deaths from tuberculosis in Maranhão (Brazil) and its association with socioeconomic indicators.

Method:  Ecological study of tuberculosis deaths in Maranhão, from 2010 to 2015, using municipalities as the unit of analysis. The global Moran index, the correlogram, and the spread of the Moran index were used, and to assess the spatial association of tuberculosis deaths with socioeconomic indicators, different conditional autoregressive spatial models (CAR) were adjusted.

Results:  During the chosen period, 949 deaths from tuberculosis were reported. A strong spatial dependence was identified in the occurrence of deaths. Using the adjusted conditional autoregressive spatial model, it was found that approximately 12 % of the municipalities have more than a 75 % chance of death from tuberculosis and that the north and central parts of the state have the highest probability of death from tuberculosis.

Conclusion:  There was a strong spatial dependence on the occurrence of deaths from tuberculosis, which was affected by the rates in neighboring areas. The municipal human development index was negatively associated with the rate of deaths from tuberculosis and the average per capita income showed a positive association.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; Mortality; Spatial analysis.