Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
09:55
Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology
Published on: September 28, 2022
How Gun Violence Exposure Influences Racial Health Disparities among Adults in the United States
Daniel C Semenza1,2,3, Sultan Altikriti4, Kimberly Burke4
1Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Rutgers University, 405-7 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ, 08102, USA. daniel.semenza@rutgers.edu.
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
|June 11, 2026
Summary
Gun violence exposure (GVE) worsens health disparities for Black and Hispanic adults in the US. Reducing GVE can significantly decrease these racial health inequities, highlighting its role in socioeconomic disadvantage.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Health Disparities Research
Background:
- Gun violence is a major public health issue in the US.
- Racial and ethnic minorities disproportionately experience gun violence exposure (GVE).
- Socioeconomic disadvantage is linked to poorer health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of GVE in connecting socioeconomic disadvantage to racial health disparities.
- To examine how GVE influences self-rated health and chronic conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from a 2024 national survey of 7,066 US adults (Black, Hispanic, White).
- Measured individual and community disadvantage, and GVE using a five-item variety index.
- Employed structural equation models and counterfactual analysis to assess associations and simulate disparity reduction.
Main Results:
- Black and Hispanic adults reported higher GVE and community disadvantage than White adults.
- GVE was consistently linked to poorer self-rated health and increased chronic conditions across all racial groups.
- Community disadvantage impacted health indirectly via GVE, and adjusting GVE levels reduced racial health disparities.
Conclusions:
- GVE acts as a structural pathway linking community disadvantage to racial health inequities.
- Interventions targeting GVE reduction are crucial for mitigating health disparities.
- Addressing GVE is essential for achieving health equity in the United States.
Related Concept Videos
02:55Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who are...
01:29Bias in Epidemiological Studies
Biases can arise at various stages of research, from study design and data collection to analysis and interpretation. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of epidemiological findings.Broadly speaking, biases in epidemiology fall into three main categories: selection bias, information bias, and confounding. A more detailed description of possible biases is:
01:12Relative Risk
Relative risk (RR) is a statistical measure commonly used in epidemiology to compare the likelihood of a particular event occurring between two groups. This metric is important for evaluating the relationship between exposure to a specific risk factor and the probability of a particular outcome. It plays a crucial role in medical research, public health studies, and risk assessment. Relative risk quantifies how much more (or less) likely an event is to occur in an exposed group compared to an...
01:30Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry that persists for at least six months, significantly interfering with daily functioning. Unlike situational anxiety, which arises in response to specific stressors, GAD often occurs without a clear cause. Individuals may experience disproportionate worry about work, health, or relationships. For instance, a person might continuously fear poor health despite normal medical evaluations or...
01:26Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
Stress often leads to unhealthy habits like smoking, excessive drinking, and overeating, which offer short-term relief but ultimately increase long-term health risks. These behaviors create a cycle that temporarily lowers stress levels but can result in severe long-term health consequences. Breaking these habits is essential to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and improve overall well-being. Three primary changes that support better health include quitting smoking, reducing alcohol intake,...
01:27Confounding in Epidemiological Studies
Confounding in statistical epidemiology represents a pivotal challenge, referring to the distortion in the perceived relationship between an exposure and an outcome due to the presence of a third variable, known as a confounder. This variable is associated with both the exposure and the outcome but is not a direct link in their causal chain. Its presence can lead to erroneous interpretations of the exposure's effect, either exaggerating or underestimating the true association. This phenomenon...