Family violence prevention - a role for APHA

Public health programs addressing Intimate Partner Violence, IPV, have expanded this century. Child Abuse Prevention Programs speak of the “Public Health Model” with outcome data. APHA has a focus on IPV, with the Women's Caucus. Two APHA Sections, ICEHS and MCH also address IPV occasionally Child Abuse, and rarely elder abuse. The new APHA Family Violence Prevention Forum, FVP, seeks to connect all public health based family violence prevention programs with members from more than 20 Sections, SPIGs and Caucuses. The World Health Organization created major papers and an international network addressing family violence. The ACE, study addresses long term health consequences from Adverse Childhood Experiences. The National Violent Death Reporting System has a children's system including fatal child abuse. Data for prevention are expanding but reporting and case management are generally avoided. The annual STD guidelines have expanded from an asterisk that referenced the need to consider child abuse to pages of material on multiple STD that may be evidence of child sexual abuse. HIV as a marker of child sexual abuse is less studied but references are made to consider child sexual abuse. Birth data may record a preadolescent mother with the father older adult but child abuse reports are not made from vital statistics. Los Angeles County had a large public health based Child Abuse Prevention Program for several decades that ended when the founders retired. Public health Nursing is a major exception with involvement in reporting and case management.