摘要：Violence is a public health problem that can be understood and changed. Research over the past 2 decades has demonstrated that violence can be prevented and that, in some cases, prevention programs are more cost-effective than other policy options such as incarceration. The United States has much to contribute to—and stands to gain much from—global efforts to prevent violence. A new World Health Organization initiative presents an opportunity for the United States to work with other nations to find cost-effective ways of preventing violence and reducing its enormous costs. ON OCTOBER 3, 2002, THE World Health Organization (WHO) released the milestone World Report on Violence and Health . 1 This report examines what is known about the epidemiology and prevention of violence from research and programs throughout the world. It addresses several types of violence, including child abuse and neglect by caregivers, youth violence (violence by adolescents and young adults aged 10 to 29 years), intimate partner violence, sexual violence, elder abuse, self-inflicted violence, and collective violence (the use of violence by one group against another to achieve political, social, or economic objectives; for example, war or terrorism). The report discusses how the different types of violence are related and also contains recommendations for advancing efforts to prevent violence at the global, national, and local levels. The report is the result of 3 years of work, during which WHO drew on the knowledge of more than 160 experts from more than 70 countries. The release of this report marks the beginning of a worldwide WHO campaign that will include global and national events with decisionmakers, the media, and the general public. The campaign will focus on discussing how the report’s recommendations might be implemented. As we embark on this global campaign, it is useful for the US public health community to consider its role in global efforts to prevent violence.
