Assessing Community Readiness to Develop a Socioculturally Relevant Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Community Health

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent form of gender-based violence requiring community-specific prevention strategies.
• Developing culturally responsive programs necessitates understanding community readiness and norms.
• Assessing readiness is crucial for effective intervention design in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess community readiness to address intimate partner violence (IPV) within an Asian Indian community in the midwestern USA.
• To identify segments of the community with higher readiness for IPV prevention initiatives.
• To inform the development of a socioculturally responsive prevention program.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods approach including six focus groups (n=28), individual interviews (n=6), and surveys (n=189).
• Involved diverse community leaders and members to capture varied perspectives.
• Data collection focused on awareness and readiness to address IPV.

Main Results:

• Overall community awareness of IPV was vague.
• Specific segments within the community demonstrated a higher degree of readiness to address IPV.
• This readiness was leveraged to develop and implement a phased health communications campaign.

Conclusions:

• Community readiness assessment is vital for tailoring effective IPV prevention programs.
• Capitalizing on existing readiness within specific community segments can enhance intervention success.
• Methodological considerations and lessons learned are important for future community-based research on sensitive issues like IPV.