NEW YORK CITY, July 7– According to a new study done by The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), approximately one third of all female victims are killed by their intimate partners in their home, often the crime is witnessed by children, and the most likely population to be a victim of femicide (intimate partner homicide of women) are young, and born outside of the United States.

The study, published by the American Journal of Public Health, draws on empirical studies that show that levels of violence and homicide are linked with key neighborhood characteristics like poverty, ethnic heterogeneity, and the level of social collectivity.

The Role of Neighborhood Environment and Risk of Intimate Partner Femicide in a Large Urban Area, looked at medical examiner data on 1,861 femicide victims between 1990-1999 in New York City (NYC) and examined neighborhood-level factors like education, employment, immigrant concentration, physical disorder, and social cohesion, and their effect on the likelihood of intimate partner femicide (IPF).

The study was conducted by the Center of Urban Epidemiologic Studies (CUES) at NYAM. CUES is a rigorous research unit that uses epidemiology and social sciences to identify opportunities to improve the health of urban populations and reduce health disparities.

The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) has been advancing the health of people in cities since 1847. An independent organization, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world’s urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, education, community engagement and innovative research. Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public’s health; and to implement interventions that eliminate health disparities.

Posted on 07/08/2008

Contact:
Malini Doddamani
Director of Communications
mdoddamani@nyam.org
212.822.7285