Non-fatal firearm injuries in Chicago: description and analysis by neighbourhood health equity zone

Firearm injuries are a leading cause of death, and Chicago is an epicentre of firearm violence with a firearm homicide rate four times the US average; prior studies have focused more on fatal firearm violence rather than non-fatal firearm violence (NFFV). We sought to explore NFFV by examining accidental and assault firearm injury trends in the city of Chicago through the lens of healthy Chicago equity zones (HCEZ), distinct geographic areas designated to address health inequities across neighbourhoods.

We performed a retrospective cohort study using 2021-2024 Illinois Health and Hospital Association COMPdata. Demographics, incident location and date of incident were abstracted. The χ² tests were used to determine associations between demographic characteristics and the six HCEZs.

There were 8348 NFFV injury hospital encounters in Chicago during the study period. Most NFFV injuries were related to accidental discharges (n=5259, 62.8%). The majority were aged 18-34 years (n=5030, 60.0%) and Black (n=6132, 73.5%). There was a significant association between HCEZ and NFFV injuries for both assault and accidental discharge intents (p<0.001). Mean NFFV incident rates were highest in HCEZ Near South (240.9 per 10 000 persons, 95% CI 231.5 to 250.3), Far South (199.3 per 10 000 persons, 95% CI 186.4 to 212.1) and West (159.2 per 10 000 persons, 95% CI 152.6 to 165.8), all primarily low socioeconomic and Black HCEZs that have suffered historic disinvestment.

NFFV in Chicago disproportionately affects adolescent and young adult Black men on Chicago's South and West sides. Violence prevention efforts should focus on these high-risk HCEZs.