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  1. CDC's Division of Violence Prevention Offers Online Course on Principles of Prevention

CDC's Division of Violence Prevention Offers Online Course on Principles of Prevention

Each year, more than 50,000 people lose their lives to violence. In addition to the tremendous physical and emotional toll, violence has substantial medical and lost productivity costs. In 2000, these totaled more than $70 billion in the United States. The figure grows when we add criminal justice system costs, social services, and other expenses.

Youth are disproportionately affected by violence. For young people aged 15 to 24, homicide is the second leading cause of death, and suicide is the third leading cause of death.

As Dr. Rodney Hammond, director of The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention, says, “Violence isn’t something that just happens that you can’t do anything about. It can be prevented.”

One way CDC is helping the nation prevent violence is a free on-line course that’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s called Principles of Prevention. For more information, visit www.vetoviolence.org/pop.

The course—which offers continuing education credits—teaches key concepts of primary prevention, the public health approach, and the social-ecological model.  Participants complete interactive exercises to learn to help prevent five types of violence:

  • Child abuse and neglect
  • Intimate partner violence
  • Sexual violence
  • Suicide
  • Youth violence

Principles of Prevention is designed for those working to stop violence from ever happening. It helps professionals move from the problem to the solution.

This course teaches the fundamentals of effective violence prevention methods and incorporates the growing body of research on what works.

The Principles of Prevention course includes:

  • Interviews with leading experts in the field
  • Dynamic graphics
  • Interactive exercises
  • Compelling storytelling that makes the case for violence prevention

Click here to access the online training.

For more information, contact

Jennifer Middlebrooks
Division of Violence Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Jod5@cdc.gov