Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
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Vacant and abandoned buildings are common features in many post-industrial US cities, and are consistent predictors of violence. Demolition programs are regularly employed as an urban land use policy to stabilize housing markets and mitigate public health problems including violence. The objective of this research was to examine the effect of vacant building removals on violent and property crimes in Baltimore, MD from 2014 to 2019. ⋯ The relative reductions in crime, at building removals compared to at control vacant lots, were found among assaults and violent crimes, the crimes of greatest public health concern. Building removals provide co-benefits to their communities, and may be considered part of a crime reduction strategy compatible with other approaches. A systematic effort to understand the role of care for remaining vacant lots could further inform our findings, and efforts to further decrease violence and improve community health.
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Little is known about the combined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other major disasters on mental health. Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast in 2017, resulting in substantial costs, significant levels of displacement, and approximately 100 deaths, and was followed in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic. We randomly sampled 1167 Houstonians from 88 designated super-neighborhoods and surveyed them about their demographics, event-specific traumas and stressors, and symptoms of current depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). ⋯ Overall, we observed evidence for two key findings that are salient for residents of urban environments in the context of multiple disasters. First, stressors were primary influences on depression, whereas both stressors and traumas influenced PTSD. Second, the influences of stressors and traumas on depression and PTSD symptoms faded with time.
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Forest trails provide urban residents with contact with nature that improves health and well-being. Vision and hearing are important forms of environmental perception, and visual and auditory stimuli should not be overlooked in forest trail landscapes. This study focused on the health benefits of the audio-visual perception of forest trail landscapes. ⋯ The interaction between FD and FS revealed a pattern of combinations that facilitated stress reduction and positive mood recovery. These results are of theoretical value in that they indicate important audio-visual characteristics of forest trail landscapes. In terms of practical applications, these findings support the construction of urban forest trails to provide health benefits.
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A person's place of residence is a strong risk factor for important diagnosed chronic diseases such as diabetes. It is unclear whether neighborhood-level risk factors also predict the probability of undiagnosed disease. The objective of this study was to identify neighborhood-level variables associated with severe hyperglycemia among emergency department (ED) patients without a history of diabetes. ⋯ Many geospatial exposures were associated with uncontrolled hyperglycemia, even after controlling for individual-level risk factors. The most strongly associated neighborhood-level variables included lower markers of educational attainment, higher percentage of households where limited English is spoken, lower rates of white-collar employment, and higher rates of Medicaid insurance. Including these geospatial factors in risk assessment models may help identify important subgroups of patients with undiagnosed disease.
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Gun homicide rates have risen 35% across the USA since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. One promising intervention to prevent violent crime is summer youth employment programs (SYEPs), which provide youth with meaningful workplace experiences, prosocial engagements, and developmental opportunities during the summer months, when many otherwise lack structure. This paper presents a cost analysis of violence prevention-focused SYEPs to help implementers understand the costs generally and in their own community contexts-to advocate for adoption and secure funding of, effectively budget for, and successfully implement SYEPs. ⋯ SYEPs with the goal of reaching youth who are justice-involved or at risk of being victims or perpetrators of violence can cost $3331 per youth assisted, with 54% of this cost directly paid to youth through stipends. Cost per youth is driven by the intensity of the mentoring and support that community organizations provide to the program participants. Knowing the cost per youth assisted can inform further analysis, implementation, and expansion of SYEPs.