It's hard to believe that poor people living in the U.S. would actually have it worse than people living in countries like Nigeria. But a recent study showed that Baltimore, Maryland is one of two cities where teens felt the least amount of safety in their neighborhoods.
Study rates 5 cities in safety for teens
A recent global study called the Well-Being of Adolescents in Vulnerable Environments that examines the influence of neighborhood factors on teen health compared living conditions among teens age 15-19 in poor cities that included Baltimore, Shanghai, Johannesburg, New Delhi and Ibadan (Nigeria). The results showed that a great many teens living in these cities feel unsafe. The percentages ranged from 43.9 percent among male teens in Johannesburg to 66.1 percent of female teens in Baltimore.
How Baltimore ranks
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one in four residents of Baltimore are considered impoverished, or living below the poverty level. In addition, Baltimore has the fifth-highest murder rate in the country among cities with 100,000 or more people. According to FBI statistics, Baltimore also has the nation's seventh-highest violent crime rate.
Freya Sonenstein of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health commented regarding the study, “It is worth noting that in spite of its location in a high-income country, the Baltimore neighborhood had some of the lowest ratings.” Freya is referring to safety ratings, or how citizens feel about their safety in their own neighborhoods.
To read more, visit www.rt.com/usa/210607-baltimore-study-nigeria-health/
