Correlates of weapon carrying among high school students in the United States

Adamson S Muula¹ , Emmanuel Rudatsikira²^,3 and Seter Siziya⁴

¹Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, University of Malawi, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi

²Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, California, USA

³Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA

⁴Department of Community Medicine, University of Zambia, School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia

author email corresponding author email

Annals of General Psychiatry 2008, 7:8doi:10.1186/1744-859X-7-8


Published:	7 July 2008

Abstract

Background

Deaths and injuries arising from interpersonal violence among adolescents are major public health concerns in the United States. The bearing of weapons among adolescents is a critical factor in many of these deaths and injuries.

Methods

A secondary analysis of the 2005 United States Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Survey data was carried out to examine the variables associated with self-reported history of weapon carrying on school property among high school students. We used logistic regression analysis to assess the associations.

Results

Of the 13,707 respondents who participated in the survey, 10.2% of males and 2.6% of females reported carrying a weapon on school property. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, males were more likely to report having carried a weapon than females (odds ratio (OR) = 5.58; 95% confidence interval (CI) [4.23, 7.62]). Self-reported race/ethnicity was also associated with weapon carrying. Other variables positively associated with weapon carrying at school were substance use (OR = 1.77; 95% CI [1.16, 2.68]), depression (OR = 1.44; 95% CI [1.10, 1.89]), suicidal ideation (OR = 1.64; 95% CI [1.23, 2.19]), having had property stolen or deliberately damaged at school (OR = 1.55; 95% CI [1.21, 1.98]), having been raped (OR = 1.70; 95% CI [1.22, 2.37]), having been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property (OR = 2.19; 95% CI [1.63, 2.95]), and having engaged in physical fighting (OR = 2.02; 95% CI [1.56, 2.63]).

Conclusion

This research identifies factors that are associated with weapon bearing among adolescents in the United States. These factors may be important in the design of interventions aimed at improving school safety and adolescent health.