Racial Differences in Activity Space Exposures and Everyday Perceptions of Safety Among Urban Youth

Abstract

PurposeThe everyday experience of safety promotes health and successful development during adolescence. To date, few studies have examined racial variation in the spatial determinants of in-the-moment perceived safety. MethodsDrawing on data from the Columbus, Ohio-based Adolescent Health and Development in Context study (N = 1,405), we consider the influence of intraindividual variability in Global Positioning System–based exposure to both high-proportion White urban neighborhoods and neighborhood violence for the everyday location-based safety perceptions of Black and White youth (ages 11–17) as captured by ecological momentary assessment. ResultsExposure to higher area-level violence reduces youths' safety perceptions. Momentary exposure to residentially White-dominated neighborhoods also reduces perceived safety, but only for Black youth who spend more time, on average, in White areas. In contrast, we observe some limited evidence that White youth perceive greater safety when in White neighborhoods if they spend more time in white neighborhoods on average. DiscussionThese findings point to the need for greater attention to in situ experiences in understanding the origins of racial disparities in health and wellbeing. For Black youth, a restricted focus on the consequences of residing in Black segregated neighborhoods may obscure potentially health consequential exposures beyond these areas.