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. 2017 Jan;669(1):41-62.
doi: 10.1177/0002716216678167. Epub 2016 Dec 20.

Understanding Racial Differences in Exposure to Violent Areas: Integrating Survey, Smartphone, and Administrative Data Resources

Christopher R Browning  1 , Catherine A Calder  1 , Jodi L Ford  1 , Bethany Boettner  1 , Anna L Smith  1 , Dana Haynie  1
Affiliations

Understanding Racial Differences in Exposure to Violent Areas: Integrating Survey, Smartphone, and Administrative Data Resources

Christopher R Browning et al. Ann Am Acad Pol Soc Sci. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

Emerging evidence indicates that exposure to violent areas may influence youth wellbeing. We employ smartphone GPS data on youth activity spaces to examine the extent of, and potential explanations for, racial disparities in these exposures. Multilevel models of data from the Adolescent Health and Development in Context study indicate that exposures to violent areas vary significantly across days of the week and between youth who reside in the same neighborhood. African American youth are exposed to areas with substantially higher levels of violence. Residing in a disadvantaged neighborhood is significantly associated with exposure to violent areas and explains a non-trivial proportion of the racial difference in this outcome. However, neighborhood factors are incomplete explanations of the racial disparity. Characteristics of the activity locations at which youth spend time explain the residual racial disparity in exposure to violent areas. These findings highlight the importance of youth activity spaces, above and beyond their neighborhood environments.

Keywords: activity spaces; adolescents; exposure to violence; neighborhoods; social disparities.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Predicted Daily Activity Space Violent Crime Rates by Race/Ethnicitya aPredicted log violent crime rates are exponentiated.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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