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Fractured lives in fractured cities: towards a critical Public Health approach to

urban violence

Conference Paper  in  The European Journal of Public Health · October 2020

DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.1179

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Elis Borde
Federal University of Minas Gerais
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 v970 European Journal of Public Health, Volume 30 Supplement 5, 2020
health insurance. The prevalence of functional disability in
BADL and IADL was 33.8% (CI95%: 30.6-37.2) and 66.4%
(CI95%: 62.5-70.2), respectively. Only 17.7% participated in
organized social activities and only 15.5% rated their health as
poor/very poor. Regarding BADL, greater disability was found
among those 85 years of age, among men and those who
rated their health as poor (p < 0.05). Regarding IADL, greater
disability was found among those 85 years of age, those
without a conjugal life, illiterate individuals and those who
rated their health as poor (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Approximately 1/3 and 2/3 of long-lived Brazilian exhibited
restricted skills for maintaining their autonomy and indepen-
dence regarding the performance of BADL and IADL,
respectively. The present findings underscore the importance
of family and social support networks to assist older adults in
the performance of basic and instrumental activities of daily
living as well as activities related to mobility.
Key messages:
 The impairment of function capacity increases the demand
for healthcare services and caregivers.
 Approximately 1/3 and 2/3 of long-lived Brazilians have
functional disability regarding the performance of basic and
instrumental activities of daily living, respectively.
Fractured lives in fractured cities: towards a critical
Public Health approach to urban violence
Elis Borde
E Borde1
1
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Federal University of Minas
Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Contact: borde.elis@gmail.com
Background:
43 of the 50 cities with the highest homicide rates worldwide
are Latin American. Although the mechanisms through which
urban violence is (re-)produced are complex, the inequalities
that shape fragmented Latin American urban landscapes and
define the patterns of urban violence have been forged by
sociopolitical processes including market-driven urban
restructuring processes in the realm of ‘‘actually existing’’
neoliberalism. The comparative case study on two neighbor-
hoods in Bogotá and Rio de Janeiro seeks to contribute to the
development of a critical Public Health approach to urban
violence that moves beyond the description of death registries
and the association of discrete risk factors.
Methods:
The case studies are based on qualitative analyses of 4 focus
groups and 46 semi-structured interviews with residents and
specialists (2016 and 2019) using the Framework Method as
well as comprehensive literature reviews.
Results:
Both cases reveal nuanced processes through which urban
violence is produced and reproduced by different actors and
suggest that violence is inherent in the market-driven
territorial making and un-making of increasingly ‘‘frag-
mented’’ cities. The cases suggest that violence is implied in
threats of eviction, ‘‘necropolitical’’ police/military interven-
tions and in the silent imposition of a ‘‘slow death’’ on urban
infrastructure and entire neighborhoods, which bring about
health consequences that include injuries but also shape other
health problems. Both cases provide evidence to suggest
selective and contradictory state presence that implies, admits
or reinforces violence.
Conclusions:
The cases combat simplistic readings of Latin American
urban violence as a phenomenon exclusively related to
confrontations between rival drug gangs and the police or
aggressive individuals by revealing a great variety of actors and
processes involved in (re-)producing urban violence that have
serious implications for life and health in Latin American
cities.
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Key messages:
 Need for a critical Public Health approach to urban violence
that moves beyond the description of death registries and
the association of discrete risk factors.
 A great variety of actors and processes is involved in (re-)
producing urban violence that have serious implications for
life and health in Latin American cities.
Brief assessment of (in)direct questions on domestic/
partner violence in the Belgian HIS 2013-2018
Sabine Drieskens
S Drieskens1, S Demarest1, K De Ridder1
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/30/Supplement_5/ckaa166.1179/5913466 by guest on 10 October 2020
1
Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
Contact: sabine.drieskens@sciensano.be
Background:
Domestic and partner violence have considerable physical and
mental consequences for the victims. The Belgian Health
Interview Survey (HIS) 2013 previously evaluated a combina-
tion of two (indirect) related questions as an appropriate tool
to assess domestic and partner violence in the general
population. A more direct approach in the HIS 2018 will be
compared with the HIS 2013 deduction method.
Methods:
The HIS is a cross-sectional survey in a representative
population sample. The more sensitive subjects like domestic
and partner violence are part of the self-administered
questionnaire. In 2013 the indicator related to domestic
violence was derived from the question whether the perpe-
trators was a member of the household; for the indicator on
partner violence also the household composition was taken
into account. For the HIS 2018, the question has been adapted.
It was specifically asked who the perpetrator was (i.e.
unknown, colleague, acquaintance, friend, (ex-)partner, par-
ents, children) from where easily these two indicators could be
defined. Proportions are compared.
Results:
In 2018, 1.0% of the population aged 15+ indicated being
victim of domestic violence in the past 12 months, which is in
line with the proportion found in 2013 (1.1%). However, for
partner violence there is a difference in the proportions. In
2018, 0.6% of the population 18-74 years indicated being
victim of partner violence in the past 12 months, which is only
half of the proportion found in 2013 (1.3%).
Conclusions:
For assessing domestic violence, defining perpetrators as
members of the household or detailed questioning about the
relationship towards the perpetrator produce similar results.
For distinguishing partner violence, the estimations benefit
from directly defining the relationship towards the perpetrator.
Key messages:
 Even when investigating sensitive topics, straightforward
questions produce more accurate results.
 The problem of domestic violence and partner violence
remains underreported and so it needs to be explored more.
Suicides in Belgrade, Serbia in the period 2009-2018
Svetlana Miltenovic
S Miltenovic1, M Vujetic1
1
Health Statistic and Informatics, Institute of Public Health of Belgrade,
Belgrade, Serbia
Contact: lanamil2218@gmail.com
Background:
Suicides fall in violent deaths and more recently have shown an
increasing trend in developed and developing countries. This is
a major public health problem that could and should be
prevented. Unfortunately, it is among the top twenty leading
causes of death worldwide. This public health problem exists in
Belgrade and Serbia, as well.
Methods:
An analysis of death certificates shows an insight into the
causes of death of inhabitants of Belgrade. The paper presents