Individual and neighborhood level predictors of fear: An examination of the effects of the experience of violence and social capital at both the individual and neighborhood level

Background: Individual and area level factors are often both important in examining predictors of health. Neighborhood factors are especially important when examining residents' perceptions of fear and safety. Fear and safety are inextricably linked and when residents are fearful in their neighborhoods, they are at risk for numerous negative health consequences in addition to the ones they are already concerned about with respect to safety. The purpose of this study is to examine the dual influences of experiencing both violence and social capital on both a personal level and a neighborhood level and assessing these influences (as well as other individual and neighborhood level factors) and their effects on residents' perception of fear and safety in their neighborhoods.

Methods: This is a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis using data from the 2003 and 2005 versions of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Individual level factors that will be examined include four main domains with a multitude of factors within each domain. These individual level domains include demographics (e.g., race, ethnicity, sex, age), health services (e.g., health insurance status, unmet health care needs), risk/protective variables (e.g., social capital) and health (e.g., health status, prior victimization). Neighborhood level factors will also be examined and include two main domains. These two domains are physical environment (e.g., recreation facilities, public housing penetration, home ownership, crowding, incivilities) and social environment (e.g., crime, segregation, police presence, neighborhood social capital). These factors are being examined as two levels of influence on individual's feelings of fear and safety.