What it means
CDC’s public-health approach starts by finding out what is happening and who is affected. Next, identify conditions that increase danger (risk factors) and conditions that help people stay safe (protective factors). Develop and test responses, then help effective approaches reach more people. Keep checking that the approach fits the community and changes what it is meant to change. Different kinds of firearm harm need different responses.
ICM field application · illustrative
See how this idea helps with a decision
Here is an example to work through. The linked source explains the idea or guest account. The next move is ICM guidance.
- Where it shows up
- A team picks a familiar program before agreeing on the harm it is meant to change.
- A useful move
- Define the outcome and population, examine risks and protective conditions, compare approaches that target those conditions, then review reach and results.
- What this does not prove
- The four steps are a decision process. They do not prove that a program will work in a new place without delivery and evaluation.
Follow the question
From this idea to a local decision
Use the part you need next. A guest’s account, research finding, local pattern, and implementation plan answer different questions.
Check the evidence
Resource & Evidence
Define the type of harm and place, inspect the data, and check what research can and cannot establish.
Examine sourcesWork through the decision
Protective Factors Action Card
Protective factors are relationships, skills, and conditions associated with a lower risk of harm. See what they look like in a community and turn one into a testable commitment.
Open the worksheetBring the right people together
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Get help turning this question into a local plan, training, or leadership decision.
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