Interpersonal Violence: A Priority Issue for Health Education

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Abstract
Increasingly, interpersonal violence is recognized as a preventable cause of mortality and morbidity, affecting the health and wellbeing of millions of people in the United States each year. However, despite increasing interest in violence as a priority health issue, there are planned health education and health promotion efforts designed to prevent violent acts. Violent behavior is the result of personal, societal, familial, and environmental factors requiring long-term, intensive health promotion strategies, involving collaboration of a broad base of professionals and community organizations. In conceptualizing violence prevention strategies, health educators need to think beyond the individual level of intervention and simplistic environment- and victim-blaming strategies for intervention. There is a need to move toward community action intervention models based on integrated community efforts, which include both individual and organizational change efforts as well as community development activities directed toward families, organizations, and social systems. Major involvement and leadership in these efforts are needed from minority communities. The need for a multiplicity of interdisciplinary approaches and interventions, including societal and economic reforms, in preventing violence is discussed. Examples of violence prevention efforts are presented.