title: Prevalence and Correlates of Firearm Ownership in the Homes of Fifth Graders: Birmingham, AL, Houston, TX, and Los Angeles, CA.
abstract: Firearms 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.
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA schwebel@uab.edu.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Schwebel
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Terri
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Marc N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Sara L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Toomey
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Tortolero
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Paula M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Cuccaro
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schuster
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000407:Alabama; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D010067:Ownership; D015995:Prevalence; D013781:Texas
keywords: firearms; guns; injury; safety