Advancing the Public Health Approach in Providing Training and Technical Assistance for Youth Violence Prevention

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control is focused on increasing the capacity of local Health Departments to prevent youth violence in communities. This session will describe CDC’s steps using the Public Health Approach through Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) to local health departments.

Methods: This violence prevention TTA incorporates the use of the Public Health Approach in providing guidance to support: (a) the use of data to inform the selection of high-risk communities, (b) connecting recipients to the best available evidence and (c) the use of lessons learned to assure widespread adoption of the best available youth violence prevention strategies and programs.

Results/Outcomes: CDC identified local health departments with high rates of youth homicide and violence; twelve local health departments competed and have been selected for TTA. Through this violence prevention TTA, there will be an increase in (a) the understanding of local health department needs in preventing youth violence, (b) identifying challenges and solutions to implementation of youth violence prevention and (c) replicating approaches in other local health departments.

Conclusions: The implementation of training and technical assistance through the use of the public health approach has the potential for sustained, community-wide violence prevention efforts at the local level, including the development of multisector coalitions and comprehensive youth violence prevention plans.  

Learning Objectives:

Describe the Public Health Approach to inform the planning and implementation of Youth Violence Prevention Programs.

Identify at least 3 public health resources to address youth violence prevention efforts.