Supporting a Community-Based Participatory Evaluation Approach to Violence Prevention in Kansas City

Abstract

Disparities in rates of firearm-related homicide exist for some segments of the population and by geographic area. There are interrelated factors across multiple social–ecological levels that increase the risk of violence for some individuals and groups, which may suggest the importance of comprehensive community intervention approaches for addressing violence. Participatory approaches can aid in the implementation of community interventions by engaging community and researcher partners in collaboratively addressing community-identified concerns. The purpose of the present study is to demonstrate the application of a participatory evaluation framework used to support the Aim4Peace Violence Prevention Project in Kansas City, Missouri. The study presents data from the second year of program implementation to examine the contributions of the program in addressing violence.

KEYWORDS:

• community-based participatory research
• homicide
• participatory evaluation
• violence prevention

Acknowledgments

The study was supported through a contractual agreement between the City of Kansas City, MO and the Work Group for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas to support program evaluation.

Daniel J. Schober is currently affiliated with the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition.