A Community Risk Assessment of Long Beach Zip Code 90805

Abstract

The purpose of the study conducted was to complete a community risk assessment of Long Beach, CA 90805 using the Communities That Care model to identify prominent risk factors for delinquency and substance use among youth ages 10–17. Thirty-one indicators measuring 16 risk factors were gathered from public sources. The data from Long Beach 90805 was compared to data from Los Angeles County, the State of California, and the United States. The risk factors of eminent concern for the 90805 community were shown to be availability of drugs, community laws and norms favorable toward delinquency and substance use, low neighborhood attachment/ community disorganization, extreme economic deprivation, family history of problem behavior, family management of problems, favorable attitudes and involvement in problem behavior, lack of commitment to school and peer/ individual favorable attitudes toward problem behavior. To address these risk factors interventions for reduction of substance use and delinquency should target community, family, school, and peer/individual domains. Recommendations for evidence-based programs to reduce the prominent risk factors mentioned are provided.