Citation

Salas-Wright CP, Nelson EJ, Vaughn MG, Reingle Gonzalez JM, Córdova D. Am. J. Public Health 2017; 107(6): 977-982.

Affiliation

Christopher P. Salas-Wright is with the School of Social Work, Boston University, Boston, MA. Erik J. Nelson is with the School of Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington. Michael G. Vaughn is with the School of Social Work, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO. Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez is with the School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas, Dallas Regional Campus. David Córdova is with the School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2017.303743

PMID

28426317

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To examine trends in and correlates of fighting and violence among youths from the 3 largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States.

METHODS: We derived race/ethnicity-specific prevalence estimates for fighting, group fighting, and attacks with intent to harm from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a population-based study of youths aged 12 to 17 years.

RESULTS: The prevalence of youth fighting and violence decreased significantly in all racial/ethnic groups over the study period (2002-2014), dropping from a high of 33.6% in 2003 to a low of 23.7% in 2014, reflecting a 29% decrease in the relative proportion of young people involved in these behaviors. However, there was also a clear severity gradient in which year-by-year point estimates for fighting and violence were consistently highest among non-Hispanic African American youths, followed by Hispanic and then non-Hispanic White youths.

CONCLUSIONS: Although fighting and violence are on the decline among young people in general and across racial/ethnic subgroups, there is a stable pattern of disparities in youth involvement in these behaviors. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print April 20, 2017: e1-e6. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303743).

Language: en