Youth Violence Prevention

Lloyd B. Potter, PhD, MPH

Children’s Safety Network: Three Children’s Safety Network: Three Resource CentersResource Centers

National Injury and Violence Prevention Resource Center

National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety

Economics and Data Analysis Resource Center

"If a disease were killing our children inthe proportions that injuries are, peoplewould be outraged and demand thatthis killer be stopped."

C. Everett Koop, M.D.Former Surgeon General

The Public Health Approach to Prevention

Assess the Problem

What’s the problem?

Identify the Causes

Why does it happen?

Develop & EvaluatePrograms & Policies

What works?

Implementation& Dissemination

How do you do it?

Injury Prevention Elements

• Surveillance

• Regulation and legislation

• Research

• State and local programs

• Public support

Reducing the Burden of Injury, IOM, 1999

Ten leading causes of death for persons aged 10-Ten leading causes of death for persons aged 10-14 years, United States, 200014 years, United States, 2000

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000

Deaths

Benign Neoplasms

Cerebro-vascular

Respiratory Disease

Bronchitis Emphysema Asthma

Heart Disease

Congenital Anomolies

Homicide

Suicide

Malignant Neoplasms

Unintentional Injury

`

Ten leading causes of death for persons aged 15-Ten leading causes of death for persons aged 15-19 years, United States, 200019 years, United States, 2000

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000

Deaths

Benign Neoplasms

Influenza-Pneumonia

Cerebro-vascular

Respiratory Disease

Congenital Anomalies

Heart Disease

Malignant Neoplasms

Suicide

Homicide

Unintentional Injury

`

KEY PROGRAM COMPONENTS

• INJURY PREVENTION COORDINATOR• FUNDING• ADVOCACY• NEEDS ASSESSMENT• DATA IMPROVEMENT• INTERVENTION PLAN• SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE FOR LOCAL PROGRAMS• EVALUATION• COLLABORATION

Society

Community

Family/Peers

Individual

Spheres of Influence: Ecological perspective of developmentSpheres of Influence: Ecological perspective of development

Level of InterventionLevel of Intervention

• Indicated - Individual, very high risk groups

• Selective - higher risk population

• Universal - general population

Bullying Prevalence

• Grades 6-10• 30% were involved in

bully/victim problems “several times or more”– 17% had been bullied– 19% had bullied others– 6% bullied and were bullied

Source: Nansel et al. (2001)

HRSA/MCHB Bullying Campaign

• A change in the school climate and in norms for accepted behavior.

• A comprehensive, school-wide effort involving the entire school community

• Prominent example: The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.

Bullying: What Works?

Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General

www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/youthviolence

Best Practices: InterventionsBest Practices: Interventions

• Intervention types demonstrated to be effective in reducing violent behavior– Home visitation– Parent training– Mentoring– Social cognitive

www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/bestpractices.htm

Basic Program StepsBasic Program Steps

• description of the community’s problem

• set goals and objectives

• select and appropriate intervention

• identify participant groups

• select a setting

• locate resources

Problems identified that Problems identified that effective delivery of programseffective delivery of programs

• partnerships - poorly established

• organizational readiness - lack of institutional support

• age-appropriateness of the intervention

• staff selection and training

• evaluation planning

Blueprints for Violence Prevention

Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV), at

the University of Colorado at Boulder

www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints

Challenges and Opportunities

• Coordination and Collaboration• Strengthening Capacity for Research and

Practice• Integrating the Field• Nurturing Public Support• Promoting Informed Policy Making

Reducing the Burden of Injury, IOM, 1999