Introduction
It is important to address upstream factors in firearm injury prevention by focusing on strategies that effectively address risk and promote protective factors for Colorado communities experiencing firearm harms.
The concepts are built upon extensive research, which has shown that conditions in the environment where people live, learn, work, and play can significantly impact their quality of life and influence various aspects of their health and well-being. Many of these strategies have been shown to effectively prevent and reduce injury, violence, and mental health issues, which allow us to continue to address underlying contributions to firearm-related injuries and deaths. Furthermore, these strategies aim to address risk and protective factors, which are crucial in preventing future adverse social, economic, and health outcomes. Since violence can stem from various underlying causes, understanding the interconnection between these risk and protective factors is essential in prevention efforts. Visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Connecting the Dots initiative website to learn more.
Programs to address the root causes of firearm injury in local communities include:
- The Colorado Menu of System Change Strategies lists effective community-level systems and environmental change strategies that transform community environments by addressing risk and protective factors.
- The Blueprints Registry provides interventions and programs to address individual-level risk factors for youth. These programs can be searched based on risk and protective factors.
- Research has uncovered many risk and protective factors that influence various health outcomes for individuals and communities, also known as the social determinants of health. Protective factors can include: economic and employment stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, safe and engaged neighborhoods, social and family supports, stable housing, access to transportation, access to healthy foods, access to clean air and water, and freedom from racism, discrimination, and violence.
- In Colorado, the primary focus has been on data collected from resources such as the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS), the Colorado Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the Colorado SchoolView Data Center, and the Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Survey (COFIPS).
- View the Risk & Protective Factors and Impacted Outcomes Table to learn more about the current research that supports addressing the root causes that can lead to positive changes in multiple health and social outcomes.