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Reliability of a short gun questionnaire
Leslie S Zun1, La Vonne Downey
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Finch University/Chicago Medical School, Chicago, IL, USA. zunl@sinai.org
Southern Medical Journal
|December 31, 2003
Summary
A new short gun questionnaire accurately identifies youth gun access and availability, mirroring results from a longer tool. This reliable, brief method aids in assessing firearm accessibility among young individuals.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Assessing firearm access in youth is crucial for injury prevention.
- Existing methods for identifying gun access may be lengthy.
- Developing efficient screening tools is a public health priority.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a concise questionnaire for assessing youth gun access and ownership.
- To compare the reliability of a short gun questionnaire against a comprehensive long version.
- To identify young individuals with potential access to firearms.
Main Methods:
- A seven-item short gun questionnaire was adapted from a longer instrument.
- The short questionnaire's reliability was assessed by comparing its results to the long questionnaire.
- Both questionnaires were administered to 100 youths aged 10-24 receiving medical care.
Main Results:
- A significant percentage of youth reported easy access to guns, despite low reported ownership.
- Statistical analysis showed no significant difference between the short and long questionnaire responses (P < 0.05).
- The short questionnaire demonstrated comparable reliability to the long questionnaire in assessing gun accessibility.
Conclusions:
- The developed short gun questionnaire is a reliable tool for assessing firearm accessibility and ownership among youth.
- Findings indicate a high level of gun accessibility and availability in the study population.
- The brief nature of the short questionnaire makes it suitable for routine screening in clinical settings.