Nonfatal Firearm Violence Trends on the Westside of Chicago Between 2005 and 2016

Abstract

This paper examines the epidemiology of nonfatal firearm violence (NFFV) on the Westside of Chicago over three finite time periods: 2005–2008, 2009–2012, and 2013–2016. The trend analysis will look at any significant changes over the time periods and describe the demographic characteristics of NFFV. A descriptive analysis of Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) Emergency Department (ED) data was conducted. NFFV patients were identified by specific firearm ICD-9 primary eCode injury categories: accident, assault, legal intervention, undetermined intent, suicide or self-inflicted injury, and legal intervention. The Pearson Chi-square test was conducted to statistically compare the categorical frequencies of the Chicago metropolitan region of injury, cause of firearm related injury, and place of injury by time period. There were a total of 3962 nonfatal hospitalizations at MSH between the three time periods due to gun violence related injuries. Overall, nonfatal hospitalizations were most frequent for those between age groups 16–24 (52.5%). The number of nonfatal hospitalizations decreased with increasing age for the age groups 35–44 (9.7%), 45–54 (3.2%), and > 54 (1.2%). There were significantly more nonfatal hospitalizations in males (n = 3649) than females (n = 312) across the three time periods. However, there was a 74.7% increase in female nonfatal hospitalizations from 2009–2012 to 2013–2016. There were significant racial differences in nonfatal hospitalizations between the three time periods. NFFV continues to be problem on the Westside of Chicago, particularly for young, Black men. The incidence of gun violence however has not changed significantly between 2005 and 2016.

Declining health risk exposure among Chicago public high school students: Trends from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 1997–2017

“…Since the 1990s, there has been a national decrease in teenage substance use, including cigarettes, alcohol, and select illegal and injected drugs, shown both by the YRBS and other survey data ( Kann et al, 2017 , Miech et al, 2019 ). We found similar improvements in cigarette smoking, consistent with other Chicago data ( Fitzpatrick et al, 2019 , Illinois Youth Survey, 2010-2018 ). The decrease in cigarette smoking is considered a public health success which can be attributed to multi-layered national, state, and local program activities including: legislation around raising the minimum age to buy tobacco; increasing taxes; prohibiting use in indoor public places and worksites; adverse publicity aimed at the tobacco industry; a reduction in cigarette advertising; and an increase in antismoking campaigns for youth and adults ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.…”

“…The proportion of non-Hispanic Black respondents decreased from 47.8% in 1997 to 33.8% in 2017, reflecting a small gain in Non-Hispanic whites and a larger gain (13.3%) in Hispanic student respondents. The YRBS overall response rate was about 70% across the three survey waves ( Fitzpatrick et al, 2019 , Kann et al,1997 , Eaton et al, 2007 ).…”

“…Teen childbearing reached a record low of 8.8 births per 1,000 females aged 15–19 in 2017, down 55% since 2007 ( Kann et al, 2017 , Hamilton et al, 2017 , Kost et al, 2013 , Lindberg et al, 2016 , Santelli et al, 2007 ). The decrease in sexual health risk among CPS students correlates with the remarkable decrease in teenage pregnancies and teen births in Chicago and nationally ( Fitzpatrick et al, 2019 , Hamilton et al, 2017 , Kost et al, 2013 , Lindberg et al, 2016 , Santelli et al, 2007 ). This change has been attributed to both decreased sexual activity and increased birth control use, including long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) ( Lindberg et al, 2016 , Santelli et al, 2007 ).…”

“…The Chicago YRBS samples used in this study are surveys of public high school students in Grades 9 to 12 in 1997, 2007, and 2017. YRBS data are presented as weighted estimates of Chicago’s public high school population in that year ( Fitzpatrick et al, 2019 , Kann et al,1997 , Eaton et al, 2007 ). Use of these data, which are de-identified and publicly available, are exempt from IRB review.…”

“…Recently, several worrying trends involving teenagers have attracted national attention to Chicago. These include spikes in violence involving firearms ( Fitzpatrick et al, 2019 ), widespread use of fentanyl-adulterated heroin and other illegal substances ( The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 2019 ), and youth homelessness ( Putnam-Hornstein et al, 2017 ). In addition, Chicago saw a reduction in mental health services due to city mental health center closures as well as state budget shortfalls in 2016, closure of 50 schools almost exclusively in poorer communities of color in 2013, and the migration of middle-class minority families away from the city to the suburbs, particularly between 2000 and 2010 ( Acs et al, 2017 , Pendall, 2018 ).…”