Spatial patterns of risk behaviors in Cordoba (Argentina) – 2001

Abstract

Based on the premise that social phenomena are not evenly distributed in geographic space, this study aims to explore the spatial patterns of social groups in the city of Córdoba (Argentina), associating them with certain risk behaviors among children and adolescents, especially those related to the reproduction of inequality, poverty, and exclusion. First, we identify the different socio-residential areas comprising the city, from the analysis of the distribution of social groups in the urban space, with special emphasis on education and housing characteristics. Second, we calculate the differentials for risk behavior among children and adolescents (school dropout rates, youth inactivity, and late adolescence fertility) according to the aforementioned areas of residence. Third, we evaluate the impact of the socio-housing context in these behaviors. We use Data from the National Demographic and Household Census of 2001, at the census tract level.