SPR Diversity Network Committee Invited Symposium: Addressing Racism and Discrimination in Violence Prevention Interventions

Reducing health disparities across racial/ethnic groups is a prominent goal in prevention science. Despite evidence that demonstrates the impact of racism and discrimination on health outcomes, few behavior interventions directly address racism and discrimination as a part of a universal intervention. Many existing approaches may fail to address this underlying cause of health disparities, weakening their ability to make sustainable change. The goal of this symposium will be to discuss the process of incorporating racism and discrimination intervention strategies into violence prevention programs. We will discuss specific examples of incorporating racism/discrimination strategies and also hear from a NIMHD program officer regarding the development of a funding mechanism to address this gap in violence prevention research and next steps for this work.