Income inequality and firearm homicide in the US: a county-level cohort study

Income inequality has been rising in the US and thought to be associated with violence especially homicide. About 75% of homicides involve firearms. We quantified the association between county-level income inequality and all-race/ethnicity and race/ethnicity-specific firearm homicide rates among in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Injury prevention Vol. 25; no. Suppl 1; pp. i25 - i30
Main Authors: Rowhani-Rahbar, Ali, Quistberg, Duane Alexander, Morgan, Erin R, Hajat, Anjum, Rivara, Frederick P
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 01.09.2019
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
African Americans
Age
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Cohort analysis
Cohort Studies
Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data
Criminal investigations
Criminal statistics
Ethnicity
Family income
Female
Firearms
Firearms - statistics & numerical data
Hispanic people
Homicide
Homicide - economics
Homicide - psychology
Homicide - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Income
Income inequality
Male
Market entry
Nonviolence
Ownership - economics
Ownership - statistics & numerical data
Population
Presidential elections
Public health
Relative deprivation
Robbery
Social capital
Social Determinants of Health
Socioeconomic Factors
Socioeconomics
Spatial analysis
Underserved populations
United States - epidemiology
Variables
Violence - statistics & numerical data
Violent crime
Young Adult
United States
United States > US
income inequality
race
African-American
firearms
homicide
ISSN:1353-8047, 1475-5785, 1475-5785
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Income inequality has been rising in the US and thought to be associated with violence especially homicide. About 75% of homicides involve firearms. We quantified the association between county-level income inequality and all-race/ethnicity and race/ethnicity-specific firearm homicide rates among individuals aged 14-39 years. We conducted a cohort study of US counties to examine the association of Gini Index (ranging from 0 [perfect income equality] to 1.0 [perfect income inequality]) separately measured in 1990 and 2000 with all-race/ethnicity and race/ethnicity-specific firearm homicide rates in 2005-2015. Generalised linear mixed models with Poisson distribution including a random intercept for state provided IRRs and 95% CIs. Bayesian Poisson-lognormal hierarchical modelling with integrated nested Laplace approximations was used in exploratory spatial analyses. Models accounted for county-level age, sex and race/ethnicity composition, crime rate, deprivation, social capital, urbanicity, and firearm ownership. The Gini Index was associated with firearm homicide rates among all races/ethnicities. After accounting for contextual determinants of firearm homicide, the association persisted among African-Americans. In this group, a 1 SD greater Gini Index in 1990 (IRR=1.09; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.16) and 2000 (IRR=1.09; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.17) was associated with greater firearm homicide rates in 2005-2015. Exploratory spatial analyses did not materially change the results. Policies addressing the gap between the rich and the poor deserve further considerations for reducing firearm homicide rates. Incorporating income inequality to refine measures of socioeconomic position may advance public health and clinical research and practice for firearm violence prevention.
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ISSN:1353-8047
1475-5785
1475-5785
DOI:10.1136/injuryprev-2018-043080