Community-Engaged Research Shows Promise for Adapting Safety Interventions in Military Populations

With support from Military Operational Medicine Research Program (MOMRP) and MTEC, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus demonstrated the feasibility of community-engaged research to adapt lethal means safety interventions within military populations.

A recent study published in Injury Epidemiology aimed to adapt the Project Safe Guard (PSG) intervention—a promising lethal means safety program—to better suit active-duty service members. The research employed a community-engaged approach, involving 15 service members in the adaptation process and gathering qualitative data from 40 active-duty personnel and military violence prevention specialists through interviews and focus groups. The findings highlighted the importance of peer-to-peer discussions and identified challenges such as resource allocation, leadership support, and stigma surrounding firearm ownership. These insights underscore the feasibility of tailoring lethal means safety interventions within military communities and emphasize the need to address specific implementation challenges. 

Building on the work with PSG, and with additional funding from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Suicide Prevention Office, the team at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has now launched the “Pause to Protect” program. Rather than working directly on military installations, this program works with civilian firearm businesses near installations to promote secure firearm storage and responsible ownership among service members and their families. Pause to Protect is working with firearm ranges and retailers around six installations across the US. The program also includes a national map, developed in partnership with Pierce’s Pledge, highlighting locations of firearm businesses that offer voluntary, temporary firearm storage. This effort seeks to reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths by providing accessible storage solutions and fostering responsible firearm practices within military communities.

In the coming months, Pause to Protect will expand to businesses around an additional four installations, with the hope of sustained growth, education, and support for military communities.

The research project award recipients were selected from the respondents to MTEC’s Request for Project Proposals soliciting medical technological solutions related to MTEC’s Technology Focus Areas (Solicitation #MTEC-21-05-CrossCutting).

About University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus: The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a renowned healthcare and research institution located in Aurora, Colorado. As part of the University of Colorado system, it is home to a range of medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy, and public health schools. The campus is recognized for its cutting-edge research, including in military-relevant topics at the COMBAT Center and in firearm injury prevention at the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative. The campus also offers comprehensive clinical training and healthcare services through its affiliated hospitals and centers. With a strong emphasis on innovation, collaboration, and improving patient care, the Anschutz Medical Campus plays a crucial role in advancing medical knowledge and training future healthcare professionals.

The team won the Outstanding Research Accomplishment (Individual/Academia) Award at the 2024 MHSRS meeting.

To learn more about the firearm prevention injury prevention initiative you can view their video here.