Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to describe processes and methods contributing to attitudinal and behavioural change in a community with a public-health programme. An integrated and developed model for community intervention with a media dimension is employed. I. Political insight with a starting-point in community analysis. Building up interest via media exposure II. Building up structure for work, including political participation. Spreading the prevention message so as to build up understanding and support in a population. III. Program implementation. Input of experiences. Politicians' and practitioners' Feedback. Continuing to spread the message and highlight its effects so as to maintain interest in the population. The model has been developed on the basis of experiences from a number of evaluated injury-prevention programmes. These are: Falköping - A Safe Community (general), Lidköping - A Safe Community (children, the elderly), the Skaraborg Injury Prevention Programme (child restraint in motor vehicles, bicycle helmets), the Swedish Bicycle Helmet Initiative, Motala -A Safe Community, and the Sollentuna Injury Prevention Programme. More than a decade of experiences point to the importance of political support for the designing and implementation of inter-sectoral work. The participation of politicians strengthens a programme, and the political dimension reduces the risk that counter-forces will impede development work. A further conclusion to be drawn is that the distribution of information via the media is an important determinant of success, reinforces the intervention process, and - alongside the involvement of committed individuals is decisive in determining a favourable outcome.

Keywords

Program evaluation, Process evaluation, Bicycle helmet, Injury prevention; Sweden

Contact

Robert Ekman

Institution

Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine

Postaddress

Norrbacka

Postcode

SE-171 76

City

Stockholm

Country

Sweden

E-mail

robert.ekman@phs.ki.se

Phone

+ 46 511 460 67

Fax

+ 46 511 597 92