Firearm and nonfirearm homicide in 5 South African cities: A retrospective population-based study

R.G. Matzopoulos, M.L. Thompson and J.E. Myers

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue 3, 455-460

Abstract: Objective. We assessed the effectiveness of South Africa's Firearm Control Act (FCA), passed in 2000, on firearmhomicide rates compared with rates of nonfirearm homicide across 5 South African cities from 2001 to 2005. Methods. We conducted a retrospective population-based study of 37 067 firearm and nonfirearm homicide cases. Generalized linear models helped estimate and compare time trends of firearm and nonfirearm homicides, adjusting for age, sex, race, day of week, city, year of death, and population size. Results. There was a statistically significant decreasing trend regarding firearm homicides from 2001, with an adjusted year-on-year homicide rate ratio of 0.864 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.848, 0.880), representing a decrease of 13.6% per annum. The year-on-year decrease in nonfirearm homicide rates was also significant, but considerably lower at 0.976 (95% CI = 0.954, 0.997). Results suggest that 4585 (95% CI = 4427, 4723) lives were saved across 5 cities from 2001 to 2005 because of the FCA. Conclusions. Strength, timing and consistent decline suggest stricter gun control mediated by the FCA accounted for a significant decrease in homicide overall, and firearm homicide in particular, during the study period.

Keywords: adolescent; adult; article; cause of death; child; city; confidence interval; female; firearm; health survey; homicide; human; infant; legal aspect; male; middle aged; preschool child; retrospective study; South Africa; statistical model; statistics; young adult, Adolescent; Adult; Cause of Death; Child; Child, Preschool; Cities; Confidence Intervals; Female; Firearms; Homicide; Humans; Infant; Linear Models; Male; Middle Aged; Population Surveillance; Retrospective Studies; South Africa; Young Adult (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.310650_1

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.310650

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