Mortalidade indígena no Brasil: análise das principais causas de óbitos a partir dos três censos demográficos

Abstract

Since the European invasion of Brazil, around the beginning of the 16th century, indigenous peoples have faced significant changes with impact on health, due to the introduction of epidemics and diseases brought by colonizers, which have caused premature deaths. This invasion-imposed challenges and triggered conflicts in the geographical, cultural, ethnic, environmental and, mainly, health indigenous areas. In view of the raised question, the general objective was to identify the main causes and percentages of mortality among Brazilian indigenous peoples, based on government databases, Information Science and Medicine literature, considering the last three demographic censuses. The research adopted a methodology that characterizes it according to the objectives in: exploratory descriptive and in terms of technical procedures, bibliographic and documentary research, which allowed a more adequate and updated understanding of the health context of indigenous peoples and the factors that imply in the mortality of this population. The results show apparently stable indigenous mortality rates, although the literature indicates an alarming reality in the life and health situation of indigenous people due to several factors causing deaths. This disparity highlights the urgency of improvements in data collection and information recording systems on indigenous health in Brazil. Therefore, this research suggests the need for an updated, available and specific data system or platform for the indigenous population, which will lead us to greater clarity about the situation of these peoples and the effective development of public policies that promote equality in access and health care.