Sustainability of Effects: The Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center Intervention Effects Two Year Later

Introduction: Heinze, Reischl, Bai, et al. 2016 demonstrated the efficacy of the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center’s multi-faceted intervention approach to violence reduction. The MI-YVPC intervention strategy utilized a social-ecological approach to change by engaging existing community resources and the application of six evidence-based programs targeting the individual, interpersonal and universal levels. Spanning a period 6 years prior- and 30 months post-intervention, the authors documented a significant reduction in assaults (police incident data) and assault-related injury (emergency department data) among 10-24 year old youth residing in the treatment neighborhood relative to a matched comparison neighborhood receiving no intervention. This presentation adds to the results of Heinze et al. by reporting sustainability of intervention effects over 54 months post-intervention.

Methods: In the current study, we use generalized linear mixed models to examine the sustainability of the treatment effect through 54 months post-intervention. We also added other crime, injury, and community-level predictors to further understand correlates of youth assaults and related injury as well as test a theoretical model of interplay between individuals and their environments.

Results: Analyses are currently underway, but preliminary results are promising for assaults and assault-related injury. Full results will be available in the coming months.

Conclusions: Sustained intervention impacts at 54 months have considerable implications for continuing these efforts in Flint, MI but also in other communities with similar demographics and context.