Reducing firearm injuries: the role of local public health departments.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to gather data regarding local public health departments' involvement in activities to prevent firearm-related morbidity and mortality.


METHODS
A questionnaire was sent to local public health departments serving cities with populations > or =60,000 to assess their perceptions of the magnitude of the firearm injury problem in their jurisdictions and the activities in which they were engaged to reduce firearm-related injuries.


RESULTS
Almost half (49.7%) of respondents said that their departments had not seriously thought about being involved in activities to reduce firearm-related injuries, and fewer than one in five (17.8%) reported that their departments were involved in such activities. Respondents identified three barriers to involvement in activities to reduce firearm injuries: limited financial resources (62.7% of respondents), lack of expertise (50.8%), and not enough time (47%).


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the extent of firearm injuries in the US, systematic collection of local data on firearm morbidity and mortality to help guide policy development is lacking.
Price
J H
JH
College of Health and Human Services, University of Toledo, Ohio, USA. jprice@utnet.utoledo.edu
Oden
L
L
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D011634:Public Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*