The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44844

Joan L. Tabachnick, MBA, STOP IT NOW!, PO Box 495, Haydenville, MA 01060 and Corinne Graffunder, MPH, Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mail Stop K-60, 4770 Buford Highway N.E, Atlanta, GA 30341, (770-488-1745, jtab@stopitnow.com.

The application of a public health framework to the prevention and control of violence was described as early as 1991 when Rosenberg and Fenley edited “Violence in America: A Public Health Approach”. This work, along with subsequent papers, describe similar steps including defining and measuring (epidemiology); the identification of causes of the problem (risk and protective factors); evaluation of interventions; and the broad dissemination and adoption of strategies known to be effective. Two specific applications will be discussed. The CDC’s Rape Prevention and Education program, funded as a part of the Violence Against Women Act of 2000, is a nationwide effort that supports state health agencies, state sexual assault coalitions, rape crisis centers and others in developing, implementing and evaluating prevention and education programs. The second application is STOP IT NOW!’s social marketing campaign to end child sexual abuse by challenging adults (abusers, people at risk for abusing, friends and family members, and parents of children with sexual behavior problems) rather than children to take on the responsibility of prevention. Programs have been funded primarily through private sources and currently operate in 3 states and the United Kingdom. Presenters will highlight the challenges and lessons learned related to: the value of evaluation data for program decision making; the challenge of shifting the sexual violence prevention paradigm from an emphasis on perpetrators and victims to an emphasis on social norm changes; and the opportunities a public health framework offers through collaboration with the criminal justice and child protection sectors.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will name the key characteristics of a violence prevention program when using a public health framework
• Using specific case studies, participants will be able to articulate the key differences in a sexual violence prevention program when utilizing a public health education framework rather than one based in criminal justice or child protection.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.