Doctoring disorganization: Assessing crime and hospitalizations in Dallas, Texas

There is evidence that structural factors, such as economic disadvantage and the condition of physical and social environments, are linked with the health of residents living within these environments. Structural disadvantages can limit the capacity of neighborhood residents to be organized, which may compromise collective efficacy, social capital, and the sustainability of their health. Particularly, crime may be a key outcome of different neighborhoods' capacities to maintain social control, with significant implications for the health of residents beyond individual level factors. This research seeks to determine the link between indicators of social disorganization, crime, and illness in areas of differing structural conditions and other macro-level indicators. U.S. Census data will be used to determine economic instability, population turnover, and various demographic variables that comprise the population at the zip code tabulation area level in Dallas. Using crime data from the Dallas Police Department and local hospitalization data, it is hypothesized that social disorganized areas will be characterized by higher rates of crime and higher rates of hospitalization for various illnesses than more organized areas. Data are analyzed across a five year period from 2009 through 2013 to determine how crime affects health and vice versa across zip codes tabulation areas within the city of Dallas. Findings show that indicators of social disorganization, specifically economic instability, population turnover, and for some illnesses, population heterogeneity are significant predictors for negative health outcomes. Crime is found to also contribute to increases in hospitalization rates for certain illnesses.