Firearm incidents and cardiovascular disease mortality: A census-tract level study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Firearm injury is a major public health issue in the U.S.
• The link between firearm violence and chronic disease, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD), is understudied.
• CVD is the leading cause of death nationally and in Michigan.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between census-tract-level firearm incidents and stress-related CVD mortality in Michigan.
• To understand firearm violence as a localized environmental factor impacting cardiovascular health.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Michigan Incident Crime Reporting System and mortality records (2017-2021).
• Analyzed intentional firearm incidents and CVD deaths across six Michigan counties.
• Employed multilevel logistic regression, adjusting for individual and tract-level factors.

Main Results:

• Census-tract firearm incidents were significantly associated with higher odds of stress-related CVD mortality.
• Each additional 10 firearm incidents per year per census tract increased the odds of stress-related CVD death by 1.6%.
• This association persisted after controlling for urbanicity, poverty, and individual risk factors.

Conclusions:

• Residents in high-firearm-violence census tracts face elevated cumulative risks of stress-related CVD mortality.
• Firearm violence should be considered a localized environmental determinant of cardiovascular health.
• Comprehensive understanding and improvement of CVD outcomes require accounting for multilevel factors.