Journal article
The Relationship between Socioeconomic Factors and Gang Violence in the City of Los Angeles
The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, Vol.46(2), pp.334-339
02/1999
DOI: 10.1097/00005373-199902000-00023
Abstract
OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between community-level socioeconomic factors and the incidence of gang-related homicide in the city of Los Angeles.
METHODSAn ecological group-level analysis was conducted to correlate the 5-year incidence rates (from 1988 through 1992) of gang-related homicide with community-level socioeconomic statistics for the 18 geographically distinct Los Angeles Police Department divisions. Eight socioeconomic factors were examined(1) log mean per capita income, (2) proportion employed, (3) proportion high school graduates, (4) proportion single-parent families, (5) proportion male, (6) proportion younger than 20 years of age, (7) proportion African American, and (8) proportion Hispanic. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for the interrelationships among the study variables and gang-related homicide. Adjusted regression estimates were calculated from a multiple linear regression model.
RESULTSThe overall 5-year gang-related homicide rate for the city was 48.8 per 100,000, with a range of 5.2 to 173.5 per 100,000 among the different Los Angeles Police Department divisions. Pearson correlation coefficients revealed that the strongest negative correlations with gang-related homicide were log mean per capita income and proportion employed, and the strongest positive correlations were proportion single-parent families and proportion younger than 20 years of age. With mutual adjustment of all variables, only log mean per capita income and proportion employed were significantly associated with gang-related homicide.
CONCLUSIONAt the community level, gang-related homicide in Los Angeles is most closely associated with lower income and unemployment. These relationships may provide important insights into the causes of gang formation and gang violence.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The Relationship between Socioeconomic Factors and Gang Violence in the City of Los Angeles
- Creators
- Demetrios N Kyriacou - From the Department of Emergency Medicine (D.N.K.), Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California; the Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center (D.N.K., C.P.-A., J.F.K.), UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California; the Department of Emergency Medicine (H.R.H.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; and the Department of Emergency Medicine (D.A.), Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles, California. Presented as part of the 1997 University of California Wellness Lecture Series at the University of California, Los Angeles, October 28, 1997. Address for reprints: Demetrios N, Kyriacou, MD, PhD, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, 14445 Olive View Drive, Sylmar, CA 91342; e-mail: dkyriacou@aol.comH. Range HutsonDeirdre AnglinCorinne Peek-AsaJess F Kraus
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, Vol.46(2), pp.334-339
- DOI
- 10.1097/00005373-199902000-00023
- ISSN
- 1079-6061
- Publisher
- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/1999
- Academic Unit
- Occupational and Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Nursing; Public Policy Center (Archive)
- Record Identifier
- 9984215145802771
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