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The public health approach to violence reduction: A process evaluation of a UK inner-city serious youth violence strategy

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To examine the opportunities and challenges of applying a public health approach to violence prevention within a ten-year youth violence reduction strategy in an inner-London region. STUDY DESIGN: Multi method study within a process evaluation. METHODS: The study investigated: (a) the influence of a public health approach on strategy design through documentary analysis and two focus groups with local government staff and community leaders (n = 11); (b) contextual factors shaping engagement with the approach via two actor-mapping workshops (n = 18) and narrative interviews (n = 7); (c) implementation of the public health approach in strategy delivery through four focus groups and one interview with staff and community leaders (n = 19), and interviews with participating young people or their carers (n = 10); and (d) a review of key performance indicators and a focus group discussion (n = 9). RESULTS: The public health approach supported an evidence-based strategy but was inconsistently articulated and understood, creating implementation challenges. Despite a complex violence-reduction landscape, the voluntary and community sector sustained productive relationships with the strategy. Data challenges included limited outcome measurement, with mostly quantitative indicators largely focused on tracking intervention activity. CONCLUSION: While the public health approach remains the dominant model for violence prevention, challenges persist in shared understanding, inter-agency collaboration, and data generation and sharing. Findings highlight the need to engage with local complexity through a place- and asset-based approach to youth violence narratives.
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2026.106260
Language: English
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,130
OpenAlex ID: W7141183530
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Cites: 7
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