CE23-003 - Taking A Public Health Perspective on Human Trafficking: An Evaluation of the PROTECT Prevention Program

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

PROJECT SUMMARY Human trafficking is a pervasive form of violence which affects the health, safety, and wellbeing of youth in the United States (US). Human trafficking is disproportionately experienced by women, those in poverty, those who have experienced other forms of violence, sexuality and gender minorities, and racial and ethnic minorities, positioning it as an important contributor to population health. Historically, human trafficking has been viewed through a criminal legal lens, meaning efforts have focused on intervening after human trafficking has occurred. However, human trafficking is a pervasive form of violence which also merits a comprehensive public health response. One such effort is the PROTECT program, a violence prevention program which operates at the individual, family, and school level to promote protective factors, increase awareness of human trafficking, and change behaviors with the goal of preventing human trafficking among youth. The program has been completed by more than 700 thousand students and nearly 90 thousand adults; yet, it has not been independently evaluated. In response to RFA-CE-23-003, I propose an independent evaluation of the PROTECT program. This project is led by an early-career investigator supported by a mentorship team of senior scholars with extensive experience conducting violence and prevention research. This project has three aims and will employ a school- level randomized control trial design to evaluate the effectiveness of the PROTECT program. In Aim 1 I will survey youth, caregivers, and school employees in the intervention and control groups prior to and after program implementation to examine the effect of the program on knowledge about human trafficking, protective factors for youth, and changed behaviors. In Aim 2, I will examine the enduring effect of the program through a follow up survey 1-year after program implementation. Then, in Aim 3, I will examine cross-over effects related to school performance and discipline using school level administrative data. Together, these aims will evaluate the effectiveness of this comprehensive and cross-cutting violence prevention program and inform program improvements to reduce human trafficking. Through this career development award, I will also develop Long-term these skills and experiences will help me achieve my goal of research independence through an R series award from the National Institutes of Health and promotion to Associate Professor with tenure. Prevention efforts are needed to provide adolescents, their families, and their schools with the tools and knowledge to reduce risk prior to human trafficking. The results of this project will improve our understanding of using a public health approach to the violence issue of human trafficking and prevent human trafficking through the intervention and subsequent program improvements.