Enhancing Research-Policy-Practice Decisions in Urban Inner-City Communities: An Adaptation of the Communities That Care Model

Introduction: This presentation describes two approaches used by a CDC-funded Youth Violence Prevention Center to enhance community decision-making related to youth violence prevention. An adapted version of Communities that Care (CTC) is being implemented in three predominantly African American, low-income, public housing communities in Richmond, Virginia. This model, CTC PLUS, adds a community engagement component with community members trained as Walker Talkers and Plain Talk (i.e., community conversations led by Walker-Talkers to promote advocacy, skills, and resources). We are using surveillance data and qualitative interviews to provide information to facilitate decision-making and advocacy for needed resources, policies and practices, and prevention efforts.

Methods: We have collected surveillance data of youth violence for over 15 years. These data are used to better understand youth violence over time in the three participating communities via mapping techniques that explore behavioral patterns and outcomes based on their spatial context. Additionally, as part of CTC implementation, key informant interviews are conducted to assess readiness and capacity for community-level prevention efforts. These interviews typically include key and recommended leaders (e.g., city officials and/or decision makers in education, health, and other sectors of the city). Unlike other CTC implementations, we expanded the scope of the interviews to include the perspectives of adult and youth residents in participating communities.

Results: Qualitative data were analyzed using grounded theory and we will present and compare the themes that emerged from the perspectives of community residents and key and recommended leaders. We will also present an example of how surveillance data were used by community members to change local policies to address risk factors for youth violence.

Discussion: Data presented offer unique perspectives to inform community decision-making in the course of CTC implementation. Implications of the findings for policy and practice will be discussed.