Citation

Santilli A, O'Connor Duffany K, Carroll-Scott A, Thomas J, Greene A, Arora A, Agnoli A, Gan G, Ickovics J. Am. J. Public Health 2017; 107(3): 374-379.

Affiliation

At the time of study, Alycia Santilli, Kathleen O'Connor Duffany, Jordan Thomas, and Jeannette Ickovics were with the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT. Amy Carroll-Scott is with the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA. Ann Greene, Anita Arora, and Alicia Agnoli are with the Robert Wood John Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven. Geliang Gan is with the Yale Center for Analytic Science, Yale School of Public Health.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2016.303613

PMID

28103071

Abstract

We have described self-reported exposure to gun violence in an urban community of color to inform the movement toward a public health approach to gun violence prevention. The Community Alliance for Research and Engagement at Yale School of Public Health conducted community health needs assessments to document chronic disease prevalence and risk, including exposure to gun violence. We conducted surveys with residents in six low-income neighborhoods in New Haven, Connecticut, using a neighborhood-stratified, population-based sample (n = 1189; weighted sample to represent the neighborhoods, n = 29 675). Exposure to violence is pervasive in these neighborhoods: 73% heard gunshots; many had family members or close friends hurt (29%) or killed (18%) by violent acts. Although all respondents live in low-income neighborhoods, exposure to violence differs by race/ethnicity and social class. Residents of color experienced significantly more violence than did White residents, with a particularly disparate increase among young Black men aged 18 to 34 years. While not ignoring societal costs of horrific mass shootings, we must be clear that a public health approach to gun violence prevention means focusing on the dual epidemic of mass shootings and urban violence. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 19, 2017: e1-e6. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303613).

Language: en