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A Comprehensive Prevention Approach to Reducing AssaultOffenses and Assault Injuries among YouthJustin E. Heinze 1 & Thomas M. Reischl 2 & Mengqiao Bai 2 & Jessica S. Roche 2 &Susan Morrel-Samuels 2 & Rebecca M. Cunningham 2 & Marc A. Zimmerman 2Published online: 17 November 2015# Society for Prevention Research 2015Abstract Since 2011, the CDC-funded Michigan YouthViolence Prevention Center (MI-YVPC), working withcommunity partners, has implemented a comprehensiveprevention approach to reducing youth violence in Flint,MI, based on public health principles. MI-YVPCemployed an intervention strategy that capitalizes onexisting community resources and application ofevidence-based programs using a social-ecological ap-proach to change. We evaluated the combined effect ofsix programs in reducing assaults and injury among 10–24 year olds in the intervention area relative to amatched comparison community. We used generalizedlinear mixed models to examine change in the interven-tion area counts of reported assault offenses and assaultinjury presentation relative to the comparison area overa period 6 years prior- and 30 months post-intervention.Results indicated that youth victimization and assaultinjuries fell in the intervention area subsequent to theinitiation of the interventions and that these reductionswere sustained over time. Our evaluation demonstratedthat a comprehensive multi-level approach can be effec-tive for reducing youth violence and injury.Keywords Violenceprevention . Injuryprevention .Adolescence . CommunityempowermentViolence is a significant public health concern, sharing featuresof other types of epidemics, with predictable patterns as well asidentifiable risk and protective factors (Prothrow-Stith 1995;Resnick et al. 2004). Adolescents under the age of 25 yearsare most at-risk for witnessing or experiencing violence(Finkelhor, Ormrod, Turner, and Hamby 2005; Truman andPlanty 2012), with males, ethnic minorities, and urban residentsmore likely to be affected by violence than females, whites, andrural residents (Buka, Stichik, Birdthisle, & Earls, 2001). Paststudies have noted the deleterious effects of youth exposure toviolence and victimization, including anxiety and depression(Pailler et al. 2007), posttraumatic stress disorder (Zatzick et al.2013), aggression (Sullivan, Fehon, Andres-Hyman, Lipschitz,and Grilo 2006), and problem behaviors (Cunningham et al.2006). Exposure to violence has lasting implications for youthas it is associated with future violent behavior, favorable atti-tudes toward violence, and negative mental health outcomes(Gorman-Smith, Henry, and Tolan 2004).Youth victimization is of particular concern in Flint, MI,consistently one of the most violent cities per capita in theUSA (Federal Bureau of Investigation 2013). Since 2011,the CDC-funded Michigan Youth Violence PreventionCenter (MI-YVPC), working with community partners, hasimplemented a comprehensive prevention approach to reduc-ing youth violence in Flint based on public health principles.Social-ecological (Bronfenbrenner 1989), social disorganiza-tion (Sampson et al. 1997), busy streets (Aiyer, Zimmerman,Morrel-Samuels,&Reischl2014),andempowermenttheories(Zimmerman 1995; Zimmerman, Stewart, Morrel-Samuels,Franzen, and Reischl 2011) guide the intervention efforts.* Justin E. Heinzejheinze@umich.edu1Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University ofMichigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, SPHI,Rm 3703, Ann Arbor, MI 48109–2029, USA2University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USAPrev Sci (2016) 17:167–176DOI 10.1007/s11121-015-0616-1