Community readiness to prevent intimate partner violence in Bexar County, Texas

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Psychology
• Violence Prevention

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a significant public health issue requiring coordinated community efforts.
• Assessing community readiness is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.
• The San Antonio Safe Family Coalition initiated a project to address IPV in Bexar County, Texas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of the Community Readiness Model (CRM) for IPV prevention in Bexar County.
• To assess the stages of community readiness for IPV prevention across the city and county.
• To develop targeted strategies to advance community readiness for IPV prevention.

Main Methods:

• A participatory action research process was employed.
• The Community Readiness Model was used to assess different sectors of the community.
• Community engagement was central to validating assessment results and strategy development.

Main Results:

• The project determined the current stages of readiness for IPV prevention in Bexar County.
• Differences in readiness were identified between the city and county sectors.
• Targeted strategies were developed based on the assessment findings.

Conclusions:

• The Community Readiness Model provides a framework for assessing and enhancing community capacity for IPV prevention.
• A coordinated community response, informed by readiness assessments, is vital for effective IPV prevention.
• The project demonstrated the utility of participatory action in developing context-specific prevention strategies.