Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41593599›Full record

SynthesisBMC public health2026

A systematic review and equity analysis of school-based violence prevention interventions evaluated in randomised controlled trials.

Emily Eldred, Karen Devries, Kate A Nelson, Anja Zinke-Allmang, Charles Opondo, Waliyah Mughis, Rizwana Mallick, Lena Morgon Banks, Amiya Bhatia

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Emily EldredFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK. emily.eldred@lshtm.ac.uk.
Karen DevriesFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
Kate A NelsonFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
Anja Zinke-AllmangDepartment of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Charles OpondoFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
Waliyah MughisDepartment of Community Health Sciences and the Brain & Mind Institute, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Rizwana MallickChildren's Institute University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Lena Morgon BanksFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
Amiya BhatiaDepartment of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExperiencing violence in school is a violation of a child’s rights and can increase school absence, affect academic achievement, employment prospects, and later-life health. Effective school-based violence prevention interventions are crucial, however, most are universally targeted. It is less clear if current interventions to prevent violence in schools ensure subgroups of children benefit equitably.

methodsWe conducted a systematic review. We drew on professional networks and searched Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, Global Health, PsycINFO, and Web of Science to identify systematic reviews (n = 29) which included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of school-based violence prevention interventions. Reviews conducted searches until December 2023. We screened all included articles within the final review sample to identify all RCTs of universal school-based violence prevention interventions. We examined what sociodemographic characteristics were measured, assessed intervention effectiveness by subgroups, and applied criteria to assess equity.

resultsOut of 160 articles of RCTs evaluating violence prevention interventions in schools, we identified 19 articles reporting on 16 trials that reported effects by the following subgroups: sex (n = 16), disability (n = 1), sexuality (n = 1), race/ethnicity (n = 1) and socioeconomic status (n = 1). Subgroup and moderation analysis found mixed results of intervention effectiveness by subgroups, with some evidence of heterogeneity.

conclusionsMost trials of school-based violence prevention interventions do not report whether they are effective for subgroups of minoritised children, or children at higher risk of experiencing violence, and therefore may not contribute to advancing health equity. Ensuring a commitment to equity in the design, delivery, and impact of school-based violence prevention is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42023463384.

Indexed as

School Health ServicesSchoolsViolenceChildEvidence GapsHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicHealth inequitiesRandomised controlled trialsSchoolsSystematic reviewViolence prevention

Identifiers

PMID41593599
PMCPMC12922353

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.