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Articles in Violent crime in a community impacts physical and mental health.
The United States has the highest homicide rate in the world.
National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System; U. S. Department of Justice (1992). Criminal Victimization in the United States, 1991. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics: Washington DC.Many studies have linked the amount an individual walks with actual or perceived safety, where safety includes freedom from crime and freedom from pedestrian injury.
Loukaitou-Sideris A. Is it safe to walk? Neighborhood safety and security considerations and their effects on walking. J Plan Lit. 1006;20(3):219-232.Fear of crime limits mobility or physical activity in a neighborhood, inhibits social interactions.
Fullilove MT, Geon V, Jimenez W, Parson C, Green LL, Fullilove RE. 1998. Injury and anomie: Effects of violence on an inner-city community. American Journal of Public Health 88:924-927.Crime in a neighborhood causes fear, stress, feeling unsafe, and poor mental health. In a study Greenwich, London, the participants who reported feeling unsafe to go out in the day were 64% more likely to be in the lowest quartile of mental health.
Guite HF, Clark C, Ackrill G. 2006. The impact of the physical and urban environment on mental well-being. Public Health 120:1117-1126.Witnessing and experiencing community violence causes longer term behavioral and emotional problems in youth. For example, in a study in the San Francisco Bay area, Chinese-American urban youth who were exposed to violence showered showed higher rates of self-reported PTSD, depressive symptoms, and perpetration of violence.
Perez-Smith AM, Albus KE, Weist MD. 2001. Exposure to violence and neighborhood affiliation among inner-city youth. J Clin Child Psychol 30(4):464-472.
Ozer EJ, McDonald KL. 2006. Exposure to violence and mental health among Chinese American urban adolescents. J Adolesc Health 39(1):73-79.For every young person killed by violence, 20 - 40 receive injuries that require hospital treatment.
WHO. World Report on Violence and Health (2002). World Health Organization. Available at HYPERLINK "http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/" Accessed on September 29, 2006.In terms of injury due to crime, the ratio of non-fatal to fatal injuries is 94:1.
Yonas, M.A., O?Campo, P., Burke, J.G., Gielen, A.C. (2006). Neighborhood-level factors and youth violence: Giving voice to the perceptions of prominent neighborhood individuals. Health Education Behavior Online First. July 21, 2006.In 2004, more than 750,000 young people aged 10-24 were treated in emergency departments for injuries sustained due to violence.
2006. Youth violence: Fact Sheet. National Center for Injury Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at HYPERLINK "http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm"Among 10-24 year olds, homicide is the leading cause of death for African Americans, the second leading cause of death for Hispanics, and the third leading cause of death for Native Americans and Asian/Pacific Islanders.
2006. Youth violence: Fact Sheet. National Center for Injury Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at HYPERLINK "http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htm" http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/yvfacts.htmViolent crime can cause disability such as lost limbs, spinal cord injuries, depression, alcohol abuse, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal behavior.
WHO. World Report on Violence and Health (2002). World Health Organization. Available at HYPERLINK "http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/" Accessed on September 29, 2006.