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Circumstances Surrounding Pediatric Firearm Injuries in New York City
Jennifer R Grad1, Nina Agrawal2, Selin T Sagalowsky3
1Department of Pediatrics, Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children, Honolulu, HI.
Pediatric Emergency Care
|July 23, 2025
Summary
Pediatric firearm assaults disproportionately affect Black adolescents in New York City, often occurring outside homes near public housing. Data limitations highlight the need for improved gun violence surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Trauma Surgery
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Pediatric firearm incidents represent a significant public health concern.
- Understanding the demographics and circumstances of these incidents is crucial for prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe pediatric firearm incidents treated at New York City public trauma hospitals.
- To characterize the victims, locations, and timing of these events.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective, multi-institutional study of patients under 18 treated at 6 NYC trauma centers (2016-2021).
- Utilized trauma registries, EHR, geospatial analysis, Gun Violence Archive (GVA), and NYPD data.
- Excluded missing data for comprehensive analysis.
Main Results:
- 176 pediatric patients treated; most were male (91%), Black (76%), and adolescents (median 16 years).
- Incidents were primarily nonfatal assaults (94%), occurring on weekdays (76%) between 3-9 PM (42%) outside homes (93%).
- 54% of incidents occurred within 0.2 miles of public housing in 3 geospatial clusters.
Conclusions:
- Regional gun violence data lacks standardization and has missingness.
- Triangulating data sources revealed pediatric assault victims are often unintended, Black adolescents.
- Findings can inform hospital surveillance and evidence-based prevention strategies.
