• David C Schwebel, Terri Lewis, Thomas R Simon, Marc N Elliott, Sara L Toomey, Susan R Tortolero, Paula M Cuccaro, and Mark A Schuster.
• University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA schwebel@uab.edu.
• Health Educ Behav. 2014 Jun 1; 41 (3): 299-306.

AbstractFirearms in the home are associated with increased injury risk, especially when loaded and unlocked. In this study, 5,010 fifth-graders and their caregivers in three U.S. metropolitan areas participated in the 2004-2006 Healthy Passages study on adolescent health. Firearm ownership and storage patterns were examined by four self-reported sociodemographic characteristics (child's race/ethnicity, child's gender, family socioeconomic status, and study site) and reasons for ownership. Eighteen percent (n = 880) of the families reported firearms in the home. Families with African American and Hispanic children had lower odds of owning firearms than families with non-Hispanic White children. The most common reasons for ownership were protection from crime and hunting. Six percent (n = 56) of the families with firearms stored at least one firearm unlocked, assembled, without a trigger lock, and with unlocked ammunition. Compared with families with non-Hispanic White children, families with African American children engaged in safer storage practices. Results can inform childhood firearm injury prevention activities. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

16 keywords...

hide…