JUNE 2001 - UCLA School of Public Health

measure it and find places to intervene to prevent it. In my mind, that makes it
a public health issue.”
For a number of years, public health seemed to be the only field that viewed
it that way. Now, there is a general consensus that criminologists and law enforcement
represent only part of the solution, and that a multidisciplinary approach
is needed. “It wasn’t until the 1990s that violence came to be widely recognized
as a public health issue,” says Dr. Susan Sorenson, Professor of Community
Health Sciences at the School. “There was a clear sense that approaching it only
through the criminal justice system wasn’t working. The public health perspective
brought a sense of hope and optimism that reducing violence wasn’t a futile
endeavor. The idea of being able to prevent something from occurring rather
than clamping down after the fact became very appealing.”
Some may argue that violence has been a fact of life throughout history, in all
societies. Whether the problem is worse now than in other times is debatable,
particularly since surveillance began only recently. What is clear is that violence
in American society is more lethal than it was in the past, due to the greater
access to firearms. “The rest of the world doesn’t have the level of gun violence
that we have,” says Weiss. But she believes it’s not only a weapons issue. “When
you consider that the leading cause of death for children in this society between
the perinatal period and age 1 is abuse, that’s pretty shocking,” she says. “There is
Isabelle
Barbour, M.P.H. ’00
As the Outreach and
Advocacy Coordinator at
the Los Angeles Commission
on Assaults Against Women
(LACAAW), Barbour consults
on violence prevention strategies
with school districts and
individual schools, as well as
service agencies. Recently,
Barbour and her colleagues
at LACAAW met with
Genethia Hayes, President
of the Board of Education
for the Los Angeles Unified
School District (LAUSD),
about the idea of developing
a violence prevention policy
for the district. Hayes was
receptive, and asked
LACAAW to draft a policy.
Building on research she
had done on the issue dating
to her days as a UCLA
School of Public Health
student, Barbour, along with
Leah Aldridge, LACAAW’s
Associate Director of
Youth Violence Prevention
Programs, drafted a policy.
“The point we have emphasized
is that even though
schools are a very safe
place for youths, between
the school shootings, bullying,
and level of sexual
harassment that occur,
there’s a lot of fear,” Barbour
says. “It’s very hard to learn
in that climate, and it’s very
hard to teach.” The policy
Barbour co-wrote is currently
being considered for implementation
by LAUSD.
“Violence is the
leading cause
of death and disability
for the population
under 35.
You can measure
it and find places
to intervene to prevent
it. In my mind,
that makes it a
public health issue.”
—Billie Weiss, M.P.H. ’81
Cathy Taylor
Taylor, a Dr.P.H. student at
the School, is working on a
study headed by Dr. Susan
Sorenson to assess social
norms related to violence
against women. Nearly 4,000
interviews have been conducted
with six ethnic groups
in four languages. The survey,
funded by the California
Department of Health
Services, poses various
scenarios about domestic
violence to examine how
individuals’ responses
change depending on the
characteristics of a given
incident. “We need to educate
people in ways that will
reduce domestic violence,”
says Taylor. “But it’s hard
to do that without knowing
where people are in their
understanding and awareness
of the issue.” Adds
Taylor, who has a background
in mental health:
“From talking with people
who grew up with violence
or are currently in a violent
situation, I feel strongly that
violence prevention efforts,
especially in families, can
have a far-reaching impact
on our society.”
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