RHP&EO is the electronic journal of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education

Stockholm Injury Prevention Program - An Urban Approach To Safety Promotion

Ragnar Andersson and Leif Svanstrom

Stockholm County Council and the Karolinska Institute, Dept. Public Health Sciences, Div. Social Medicine, S-172 83 Sundbyberg, Sweden

Background: Most experience with community-oriented programs on injury prevention, in Sweden as well as internationally, is gained from relatively small settings, such as medium-sized rural municipalities. In this case, the ambition is to expand this effort to the county level in a metropolitan area. The county of Stockholm comprises 25 municipalities with a total population of 1.7 million inhabitants. Health services are provided by the county council through nine health administrative districts.

Methods: Principles of community intervention and community development, adapted to actual conditions, have been applied.

Results: A two-dimensional strategy has been developed, and is now being implemented:

Intervention on all levels, ranging from single neighbourhoods through municipalities and health districts to the county level as a whole.
Targeting specific safety issues as well as injury prevention in general.

Accordingly, the purpose is to establish injury prevention programs in each health district and in each municipality as collaborative efforts. County-wide programs are also underway, primarily focusing on seven traget areas: traffic (e.g., bicycle helmets), workplaces, children/adolescents, elderly, sports, major hazards, and violence.

Conclusion: The size of the population and specific structural and organizational conditions in a major urban area must be taken into account when designing an urban intervention program. Experiences from community safety programs in sparsely populated rural municipalities cannot be transferred and applied uncritically.

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