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Research has documented the many ways individuals' environments (e.g., community, neighborhood) affect their health. In a new study on gun ownership, researchers surveyed young African American men who lived in high-crime, high-violence cities to better understand their perception of their environment and its impact on community violence. Respondents described their cities negatively, with few opportunities and as places where they felt they had to own a gun to survive, which can perpetuate community violence.

The study, published in the Delaware Journal of Public Health, was conducted by researchers at Texas Southern University (TSU), Delaware State University, Coppin State University, Jackson State University, and Thurgood Marshall College.

"Most studies have focused on individual factors to explain criminal activity and health outcomes," says Howard Henderson, professor of justice administration and director of the Center for Justice Research at Texas Southern University, who coauthored the study. "We focused on young African American men's perceptions of their cities, their explanations of violence, and their perceived contribution to the level of violence."

The researchers analyzed four cities with high levels of crime and violence: Wilmington, DE; Baltimore, MD; Jackson, MS; and Houston, TX. First, they examined characteristics of each city, finding that environmental factors (e.g., population density) were statistically significant in explaining rates of violent crime but not in explaining rates of property crime.

Then they interviewed nearly 400 African American 15- to 24-year-old men (about 100 in each city) who owned or had recently owned a gun. The interviews focused on the following broad themes: 1) background (race, ethnicity, age, family, housing); 2) personality, influences, and life goals; 3) school, employment, and income; 4) arrest and justice system experience; 5) gun exposure and possession; and 6) respondents' views on guns, violence, and the city.

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