NCJ Number
143423
Journal
JAMA Volume: 267 Issue: 22 Dated: (June 10, 1992) Pages: 3048-3053
Date Published
1992
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study that examined trends (1979-89) and current status in firearm and nonfirearm homicide rates by level of urbanization among victims aged 15 through 19 years of age.
Abstract
Data were obtained on age-, sex-, and race-specific firearm and nonfirearm homicide rates by urbanization level from the Compressed Mortality File, a county-level mortality and population database maintained by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control in Hyattsville, Md., and the 1980 Human Resource Profile County Codes. The 1989 firearm homicide rate in metropolitan counties was nearly five times the rate in nonmetropolitan counties (13.7 versus 2.9 deaths per 100,000 population). Firearm homicide rates were highest in core metropolitan counties, 27.7 per 100,000 population; rates were higher for black males than for any other race-sex group in each of five county urbanization strata for 1979 through 1989. Nonfirearm homicide rates were considerably lower, with smaller urban differentials; the rate in metropolitan counties was 1.4 times the rate in nonmetropolitan counties (2.6 versus 1.8 per 100,000 population). From 1979 through 1984, firearm homicide rates declined in each of the county strata. From 1984 through 1987, firearm homicide rates increased, and from 1987 through 1989 they increased rapidly, from 23 percent to 35 percent per year in the four metropolitan strata. From 1979 through 1989, nonfirearm homicide rates declined or remained stable. The study thus identified large urbanization differentials in firearm homicide and smaller differentials in nonfirearm homicide. Firearm homicide rates were highest and increasing the fastest among black teenage males in the core, fringe, and medium metropolitan strata. 2 tables, 8 figures, and 6 references