Principles of Prevention

Instructor with students in classroom using computers

CDC’s Principles of Prevention is a free, online training that teaches the fundamentals of violence prevention.

In 2013, 16,121 people were victims of homicide and 41,149 took their own life. In addition to the tremendous physical and emotional toll, violence has substantial medical, lost productivity, and other costs.

One way CDC is helping the nation prevent violence is a free online training that's available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's called Principles of Prevention. The training—which offers continuing education credits through CDC—teaches the

Key concepts of primary prevention
Public health approach
Social-ecological model

Principles of Prevention teaches the fundamentals of effective violence prevention methods.

Participants complete interactive exercises to learn to help prevent five types of violence.

Principles of Prevention is designed for those working to stop violence from ever happening. It helps professionals move from the problem to the solution. This course teaches the fundamentals of effective violence prevention methods and incorporates the growing body of research on what works.

The Principles of Prevention course includes