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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Masood Ali Shaikh, MD, MPH and Irshad Ali Shaikh, MD PhD. City of Chester, One 4th Street, Chester, PA 19013, 610-656-1539, masoodali1@yahoo.com

Youth violence is a serious public health problem in most communities across the nation, particularly in urban settings. To address this public health issue in the city of Chester; a small urban community of over 38,000 people in Southeastern Pennsylvania, several violence prevention initiatives were developed over the years by the local health department to heighten community awareness of the problem and address this growing concern. One very successful initiative has been the implementation of summer basketball camp for youth since 1996. The camp mandates players' participation in health education workshops primarily on effectively handling peer pressure, and anger management; other topics include social and health consequences of alcohol and drug abuse. Every year over 250 youth between the ages of 11 to 17 attend the camp for six weeks in summer. This presentation will provide a decade long review of the program factors underlying its continued success and highlight the benefits and lessons learnt from a local government and community based partnership for effective prevention of violence in a community.

Learning Objectives:

• Develop a plan for a community-based violence prevention intervention.
• Articulate the benefits of a local government and community partnership in violence prevention efforts.

Keywords: Youth Violence, Youth Access

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered