Using an Index of Youth Safety at the Neighborhood Level for Community Health Planning, Policy Development, and Advocacy

Youth violence and its health-related outcomes is fast becoming a national public health concern. The enduring violence that pervades New Orleans, particularly among the city’s youth, brings an urgency to stakeholders  to prevent and reduce the occurrence of violence among youth, both as victims and perpetrators; provide support for and resources to youth and their families who have been involved in violence or are at risk for involvement; and promote overall community resilience. The New Orleans Health Department sought to develop a neighborhood-based composite index of youth safety to assess the impact of youth violence prevention activities in New Orleans and target the right resources and activities to neighborhoods based on safety priorities. The index was created using a mixed-methods approach. Qualitative methods included facilitated discussions with community stakeholders and experts who work on topics including and related to youth safety. Quantitative methods included gathering and analyzing existing neighborhood-level data on indicators of safety for youth. This mixed-methods, multi-factorial approach revealed specific areas where there was greater vulnerability for certain neighborhoods related to demographic and socio-economic factors, crime, physical environment, and health outcomes.  The New Orleans Neighborhood Safety Index provided a better understanding of the challenges youth and families in particular neighborhoods face everyday and revealed a more nuanced picture of multiple contributing factors to the safety of particular neighborhoods. A more in-depth neighborhood assessment is recommended in order to fully determine risk and protective factors that impact the youth safety and advance community health planning, advocacy, and policy around this issue.