This workshop was designed for State and local officials and others responsible for initiating and supporting violence prevention policies and programs. The workshop was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 7-9, 2000. Workshops and other support are planned to meet the needs of State, local, Federal, and tribal policymakers and other health services research users, such as purchasers, administrators, and health plans. Overview Violence has long been a major concern in the United States, but the current national statistics are overwhelming. A recent national survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that approximately 50 percent of men who frequently assault their wives also abuse their children.
Homicide is the leading cause of death for black males in all age categories.
Over the last 2 years, there have been 105 violent deaths on school grounds. Nearly 20 percent of all students in grades 9-12 report that they have carried a weapon to school at least once within the last 30 days. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, taking the lives of 1.9 percent of the American population in 1995. The prevention-oriented approach traditionally taken by public health offers a useful model for characterizing different activities undertaken in the context of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention . The development of effective and collaborative strategies for addressing the problem of violence using a prevention-oriented model clearly offers significant challenges for public and private policymakers, program administrators, and community leaders charged with designing and implementing such a model.