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Firearm ownership and health care workers
B W Goldberg1, E Whitlock, M Greenlick
1Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences, University School of Medicine, Portland 97201, USA. goldberg@ohsu.edu
Objective:
Health professionals have increasingly become aware of the public health hazards caused by firearms. This study was designed to determine the firearm ownership and storage practices of a group of health care workers.
Methods:
All 6436 nonphysician employees of a large health maintenance organization were surveyed as part of an ongoing effort to enhance the organization's effectiveness. Two questions regarding firearm ownership and storage practices were included in the 85-question survey instrument. A total of 4999 surveys were returned, for a response rate of 78%.
Results:
Forty-two percent of the health workers surveyed reported keeping a firearm in their home, and 35% of firearm owners stored that firearm loaded. Men were more likely than women to report having a firearm in the home. Firearm ownership and storage of a loaded firearm decreased with higher levels of education in both sexes. A measure of increased alcohol consumption was related to higher rates of firearm ownership and storage of loaded firearms in men.
Conclusions:
A substantial number of health care workers had firearms in their homes and did not store them safely. Counseling regarding the risks associated with easy access to firearms should be considered for inclusion in employee health programs as well as in employee assistance and alcohol treatment programs.