Building a national movement for intimate partner violence primary prevention

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) results in serious health and social consequences for victims, families and communities. Reducing IPV first-time perpetration and victimization (primary prevention) requires an infrastructure to support prevention strategies, in addition to victim services. Through the DELTA Program, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds 14 state domestic violence coalitions to build their capacity to support and deliver IPV primary prevention programs. In 2008, CDC initiated another program to build primary prevention capacity in additional states.

Methods: We examined which components of DELTA were essential to coalitions building their primary prevention capacity. We reviewed DELTA 2002-2007 progress reports (N=126) and conducted phone interviews with DELTA grantees (N=14) and CDC project officers (N=3). We coded reports and interviews and conducted thematic analyses.

Results: Coalitions improved their primary prevention capacity by creating prevention teams, engaging coalition leaders and planning. External partnerships often promoted state-level prevention planning. Coalitions viewed IPV primary prevention as a social change movement. Common challenges were perceived resource competition between victim services and prevention programs, prevention staff isolation, limited leadership engagement and staff turnover.

Conclusions:Engaging the entire organization versus selected individuals may promote coalitions building their primary prevention capacity sooner, in part by mitigating potential challenges. Coalition partnerships can facilitate state capacity-building through focused planning. In addition, a social change framework bridges public health and advocacy perspectives and may facilitate dialogue with diverse partners. CDC's new initiative incorporates lessons from the DELTA Program to expedite coalitions' capacity-building efforts.