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In a new study published in Injury Epidemiology titled, “Using EMS data to explore community-level factors associated with firearm violence in North Carolina,” a team of UNC Injury Prevention Research Center (UNC IPRC) researchers have found a significant association between community levels of social vulnerability and the rate of firearm incidents in the state of North Carolina, with the effect being stronger in racial and ethnic minority communities.

Using geospatial analysis, the study linked NC EMS data on firearm injuries with the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, communities with higher levels of social vulnerability experienced assault-related firearm injury rates that were up to 10 times greater than those in communities with lower vulnerability. This relationship was even stronger in communities with higher proportions of racial and ethnic minority communities. However, no significant link was found between social vulnerability and self-inflicted firearm injuries.

Yuni Tang, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral researcher at UNC and the study’s lead author said this about the findings, “We need interventions that address underlying social and economic vulnerabilities to build safer, more resilient communities across NC and the United States.”

The study’s findings empower public health professionals, policymakers, and community leaders to design and implement evidence-based strategies aimed at reducing firearm injuries. By addressing social determinants of health such as education, employment, and access to resources, the study provides a pathway toward reducing firearm-related harm across diverse communities.

The study’s researchers also completed a complementary study focused on developing visualizations demonstrating the relationship between firearm injury incidence and location. The complementary study was completed through the development of a series of online interactive maps that were created as part of an ArcGIS StoryMap. These visualizations allow policymakers and community members to explore the relationships between individual-level factors and firearm injury rates across the state from the beginning of 2021 through the end of 2022. Visualizing the geographic distribution of firearm injuries and highlighting areas with elevated risk offers a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between individual incidents and broader social vulnerability factors, which complements the main study’s findings. To view these maps and learn more, visit Firearm Injury in North Carolina: Pervasive but Preventable.

This work was supported by an AHPA/CDC Data Science Demonstration Project Award. All findings and conclusions reported here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC and/or APHA.