What is the public health approach to violence prevention and provide an example program?

• A. Primary prevention addresses root causes; secondary prevention addresses early risk detection; example: community violence intervention programs.
• B. Only tertiary prevention; example: surgical interventions.
• C. Law enforcement-only approach with no community programs.
• D. Reactive response to incidents after they occur.

Answer: (A)

Public health prevention for violence uses a tiered approach that addresses violence before it happens, intercepts risk early, and reduces harm after incidents. Primary prevention aims to remove root causes and risk factors across the whole population, such as poverty, education, and safe environments. Secondary prevention focuses on detecting early risk and intervening to prevent the violence from escalating or recurring. A practical example is community violence intervention programs, which work in neighborhoods affected by violence to interrupt cycles, support victims, and connect individuals to services—an approach that aims to prevent future violence rather than just responding after it occurs. This framing distinguishes preventive, population‑level strategies from reactive or solely post‑incident responses like law enforcement or tertiary treatment.