Evaluation of a violence prevention program

Youth violence rates remain disproportionately high in urban/inner city areas with rising incidence rates experienced among ethnic minorities. Homicide is the leading cause of death for inner city youth between the ages of 15-24. Recent demographic data suggests that Hispanic communities may have the largest number of gangs and gang members of any ethnic group in the United States. Public health officials have focused on developing evidence-based strategies and prevention programs in an effort to reduce the burden of violence for communities. This study applies formal evaluation methods to determine the effect of a violence prevention program implemented in three middle schools within the Compton School District. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design with 197 students participating in the program and 144 nonparticipants assigned as "controls." Students were also classified as high or low risk dependent on previous behavioral records. Pre and post program measures were taken to assess changes in the areas of knowledge, attitude, and behavior of participants and nonparticipants. Participants had a 77% increase in knowledge levels with a 67% gain for the high-risk group and an 84% gain for the low risk group (p<0.001). The program successfully stabilized and/or decreased the supportive attitude towards gangs. High-risk participants had a 15% decrease in positive attitude towards gangs while high- risk nonparticipants reported a 24% increase in positive attitude towards gangs (p<0.01). Low risk participants had a 10% decrease in supportive attitude toward gangs, while low risk nonparticipants reported a 30% increase in positive attitude towards gangs (p