Respiratory diseases and traffic density: Spatial statistical analysis of the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil

The inspiration for this research and the publication of the book comes from the assessment that the risks to the population's health associated with exposure to pollutants of vehicular origin is an essential challenge for those interested in health and the environment. As a way of dealing with this issue, in its spatial approach - which has made it possible to delve deeper into epidemiology - we used data on vehicle traffic and hospital admissions for respiratory causes in the city of São Paulo. The analyses found a significant spatial association between the risk of hospitalization for respiratory diseases in children and traffic density in the city of São Paulo. The hospitalization of children and the elderly, however, proved to have different spatial patterns. The spatial regression results showed a positive association between the rate of hospitalizations and traffic density. In the case of the elderly, the regression coefficient was negative. Finally, it can be said that traffic-related pollution is an important health risk factor. We therefore stress the importance of reducing exposure to pollution, as well as socioeconomic vulnerability factors.