Commentary on subgroup analysis in intervention research: opportunities for the public health approach to violence prevention.

The public health approach to prevention places a unique emphasis on understanding which populations are at greatest risk for poor health; the factors that place different populations at risk for experiencing injury, death, disability, and related health outcomes; the preventive interventions that are most effective for universal, selected, and indicated populations; and the best methods for encouraging the translation, dissemination, and adoption of preventive interventions for various populations. This information can be valuable in maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of public health prevention approaches. The present article provides a commentary on the contributions of rigorous subgroup analysis to intervention research and, in particular, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) public health approach to violence prevention.