Latino Youth Violence Prevention: A Literature Review of the Familias en Acción Community-Based Participatory Action Research Program

Purpose of Review: The literature generated by the Familias en Acción community-based participatory action research (CBPR) program was reviewed to synthesize key findings and methods for those engaging in Latino youth violence prevention and research. Recent Findings: The Familias en Acción literature includes prospective evaluations of the effects of interventions on violent behaviors and attitudes, longitudinal analyses examining predictors of future violent behaviors, cross-sectional analyses of variables associated with violent behaviors and attitudes, use of respondent-driven sampling, and information about using CBPR to conduct Latino youth violence prevention and research. Summary: Familias en Acción upheld the ideals of CBPR while implementing rigorous methods of prospective randomized controlled trials. The findings indicate that CBPR can be used successfully to engage a Latino community in youth violence prevention and research. Adolescents, young adults, and parents can, will, and should participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of prevention programs.