The APIYVPC five-year research agenda is based on Aim 3 and entails the ensemble of six inter-dependent research projects, each having the common theme of the role of Asian/Pacific Islander (API) ethnocultural variables in developing, evaluating, and disseminating effective interpersonal youth violence (IYV) prevention programs for Kailua-Waimanalo and to formulate a national comprehensive Asian/Pacific Islander (API) model. This agenda was driven particularly by (1) community input/participation regarding the importance of social-cultural variables; (2) CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control’s (NCIPC’s) Priorities E and H; (3) career development; and (4) scientific knowledge-base. Regarding the latter, the APIYVPC has found that, overall, there are significant IYV disparities in Hawaiians, Samoans, Filipinos (in Hawai‘i), and Cambodians (in California) having higher rates than other major ethnic groups. In addition, there are differential risk-protective factors associated with IYV (e.g., positive school attitudes being a protective factor for Samoans, Filipinos, and Japanese, but not for Hawaiians; Wegner et al., submitted) as well as differential ethnocultural associations (e.g., commitment to one’s own ethnic identity being negatively related to violence perpetration for Samoan youths more than for other ethnic groups; Irwin et al., submitted).

Collectively, the research ensemble will lead to a better understanding of ethnocultural and other factors that influence API youths. The surveillance projects serve to identify problem areas and provide outcomes for evaluating prevention programs. The Core Research and Small Grant #1 (naturalistic) seek youth and adult perspectives to inform strategic planning to design community-based, culturally responsive programs. The perspectives obtained in the qualitative studies will be operationalized and tested in the quantitative model-building phase (Phase 2) of the Core Research. These perspectives will be taken into account during the program development phase for the Core Research for an innovative gender- and culturally immersed IYV-prevention program. Another strategy is to adapt promising programs. Seed #1 (ethnic studies) adapts a program used with other minority students and subsequently expands this for at-risk API youths (Small Grant #3 – extension of ethnic studies). Finally, the APIYVPC expands and evaluates a program that has been recognized for its excellence by the community. The Hui Malama project serves at-risk youths in Grades 5 and 6. If successful, the resulting culturally responsive strategies for Kailua-Waimanalo can serve as a national prototype for other API communities.

 

There are several significances of the research plan:

Surveillance will entail refining and implementing the Surveillance Data Management, Analysis, and Dissemination Plan (SDMADP), which will include building a Multi-Study Surveillance Database (MSSD). Previously established surveillance components have included:

To enhance these already-existing mechanisms, the following systems will be pursued/implemented for 2007-2010:

For all active efforts, a longitudinal design is proposed where youths would be re-assessed and the data cumulatively entered into the MSSD.

 

Follow these links to view Recent Studies in Progress and Additional Relavant Studies.