title: Methodological and Design Considerations in Evaluating the Impact of Prevention Programs on Violence and Related Health Outcomes.
abstract: Drawing on research that has identified specific predictors and trajectories of risk for violence and related negative outcomes, a multitude of small- and large-scale preventive interventions for specific risk behaviors have been developed, implemented, and evaluated. One of the principal challenges of these approaches is that a number of separate problem-specific programs targeting different risk areas have emerged. However, as many negative health behaviors such as substance abuse and violence share a multitude of risk factors, many programs target identical risk factors. There are opportunities to understand whether evidence-based programs can be leveraged for potential effects across a spectrum of outcomes and over time. Some recent work has documented longitudinal effects of evidence-based interventions on generalized outcomes. This work has potential for advancing our understanding of the effectiveness of promising and evidence-based prevention strategies. However, conducting longitudinal follow-up of established interventions presents a number of methodological and design challenges. To answer some of these questions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a panel of multidisciplinary experts to discuss opportunities to take advantage of evaluations of early prevention programs and evaluating multiple long-term outcomes. This special section of the journal Prevention Science includes a series of papers that begin to address the relevant considerations for conducting longitudinal follow-up evaluation research. This collection of papers is intended to inform our understanding of the challenges and strategies for conducting longitudinal follow-up evaluation research that could be used to drive future research endeavors.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. gmassetti@cdc.gov.|Present Address: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, MS K76, 30341, Atlanta, GA, USA. gmassetti@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Greta M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Massetti
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah Gorman
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011322:Primary Prevention; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012107:Research Design; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: Evaluation; Long-term effects; Prevention science