How many high school students are on fire?

In the CDC survey, certain high school students, especially those with poor life experiences, were more likely to report carrying a firearm for non-recreational purposes.

A study in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that in the 2017 and 2019 surveys, every 1 in 15 boys and 1 in 50 girls carried a firearm in the past 12 months.

Among those with violence-related experience (adjusted prevalence [aPR] ] range 1.5-10.1), suicidal ideation or attempt (aPR range 1.8-3.5), or substance use (aPR range 4.2-5.6).

Also more common in injured or threatened boys (25.9%) and girls (11.2%) from Dr. Thomas Simon and his colleagues from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC in Atlanta. Colleagues reported weapons on school property.

in three racial/ethnic groups: non-Hispanic blacks (10.6%), Hispanics (7.2%), and non-Hispanic whites (6.1%).

“It is important to consider the larger context when firearms are carried across racial and ethnic groups and in relation to youth behavior in retrospect and review of experiences,” the authors argue.

“Social and structural conditions (eg, concentrated poverty, high crime rates, and economic or residential instability) are associated with youth violence and contribute to inequalities in violence among racial and ethnic minority populations, ‘ they pointed out. “In addition, youth who have experienced violence, discrimination, or racism may feel more in need of protection, may be unwilling or unable to rely on law enforcement, and may carry firearms for self-protection.”

However, Carrying firearms by teens is associated with the risk of serious injury or death.

Authors, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 14-17 year olds, and homicide is the third leading cause of death. They suggest that understanding teenage gun carrying and its associated consequences could aid future prevention.

From 2019 to 2020, firearm-related mortality among children and adolescents aged 1 to 19 increased by 13.5%, making it the leading cause of death in this age group. This phenomenon was largely due to an overall 33.4 percent increase in firearm-related homicides during the period.

This study conducted the CDC’s 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) using the most recent measurements of gun carrying to identify high school students under the age of 18 for reasons other than hunting or sports Prevalence of carrying firearms. Survey data of 21,812 high school students were collected in three separate phases. The cluster sample was designed to achieve a nationally representative sample.

Simon’s group acknowledged that the YRBS data were cross-sectional and therefore did not determine the chronological order of associations in the findings. Self-reported data may also be inaccurate. Finally, the YRBS does not collect background data on gun carry, such as how the gun was acquired.

Researchers recommend more research to identify ways to prevent youth from carrying guns, especially those at high risk of violence.