The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #73649

James Gilligan, MD, President, Center for the Study of Violence and Adjunct Professor, New York University, Harvard University, 2620 Edgehill Rd, Cleveland Hts, OH 44106, 1-617-834-7551, jamesgilliganmd@worldnet.att.net

Although more Americans die from cardiovascular diseases and cancer than from any other causes, violence claims more years of life before the age of 65 (because of its disproportionate impact on the young) than those two diseases combined. Throughout the world, even in developing countries, violence is a major and increasing cause of death among the young. Yet the traditional approach to violence as a moral and legal problem to which the appropriate response is the threat of punishment has not diminished this problem, and may only have exacerbated it. Those are among the reasons that violence is increasingly being approached as a problem in public health and preventive medicine, including preventive and social psychiatry. This session will summarize the worldwide program of the WHO’s new Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention.

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of this session participants will:
• Discuss the World Health Organization's World Report on Violence and Health.
• Assess the results of studies suggesting that the principles of public health are applicable the "treatment" and "cure" for violence

Keywords: Violence Prevention, International Health

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.