Resilience-Informed Community Violence Prevention and Community Organizing Strategies for Implementation: Protocol...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Community violence poses significant public health challenges, impacting individuals, families, and communities.
• Traditional law enforcement approaches have often been detrimental, overlooking community strengths.
• There is a need for community-centered public health strategies for violence prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Adverse Community Experiences and Resilience (ACE|R) framework combined with community organizing.
• To understand the implementation strategies, barriers, and facilitators of this community-level intervention.
• To assess the impact on violence and health-related outcomes within a major US city.

Main Methods:

• A hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation design is employed.
• Quantitative data on violence (homicides, shootings) and health outcomes will be collected.
• Qualitative data from community engagement events, trainings, and focus groups will assess implementation.

Main Results:

• Project funding secured in September 2020, with data collection from Fall 2021 to End of 2023.
• Data analysis is ongoing, with initial results anticipated for publication in 2024.
• This study is generating early-stage evidence on the effectiveness and implementation of a novel community violence prevention approach.

Conclusions:

• Community-centered interventions, particularly those using community organizing, hold promise for reducing violence and enhancing well-being.
• Evaluating a broader range of outcomes, including community norms and beliefs, can better inform intervention impacts.
• Hybrid effectiveness-implementation trials are crucial for adapting and disseminating community-driven interventions.