Region of birth, migration and homicide rates of African Americans.
A study was made of all homicide deaths among black Americans during the period 1979-1991 in order to test two competing hypotheses about region of birth and region of death. One hypothesis was that Southern-born blacks had the highest homicide rates in every region of the US. The competing hypothesis was that blacks who did not migrate out of their region of birth had the highest homicide rates. We found that Southern-born blacks had the highest homicide rates among the population 35+ years old in the Northeast, Midwest, South and West. Yet non-migrants (region-born population) had higher rates than their Southern-born counterparts among the population 15-34 years old. Long distance migrants who were born in the Northeast, West or were foreign-born had the lowest homicide rates, by far. The distressing implications of these findings for public health efforts to prevent violent death are discussed.
Greenberg
M
M
Department of Urban Studies and Community Health, Bloustein School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Schneider
D
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology