@article{ref1,
title="Community distress predicts youth gun violence",
journal="Journal of pediatric surgery",
year="2019",
author="Tracy, Brett M. and Smith, Randi N. and Miller, Krista and Clayton, Eric and Bailey, Kathryn and Gerrin, Carrol and Eversley-Kelso, Tatiana and Carney, David and MacNew, Heather",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate our institution's experience with pediatric firearm events. We sought to determine the relationship between a community's level of socioeconomic distress and the incidence of youth gun violence. <br><br>METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of children <18 years involved in firearm events. Using visual cluster analysis, we portrayed all firearm events and violent firearm events (assaults + homicides). Distressed community indices (DCIs) were obtained from an interface that uses US Census Bureau data. Incident rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated for firearm circumstances (i.e. assault, homicide, suicide) using a DCI. Significant IRRs were analyzed to discern which DCI metrics contributed most to gun violence. <br><br>RESULTS: There were 114 children involved in firearm events; 66 were county residents. The DCI of injury location significantly predicted total firearm events (IRR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03), assaults (IRR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.05), and violent firearm events (IRR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05). The proportion of adults without a high school diploma, poverty rate, median income ratio, and housing vacancy rate were highly predictive of gun violence (VIP >1). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Community distress significantly predicts pediatric firearm violence. Local interventions should target neighborhoods with high levels of distress to prevent further youth gun violence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective study, IV.<br><br>Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0022-3468",
doi="10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2019.03.021",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2019.03.021"
}