Safe Community
Vågå

International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year: 2004

Info address: www.vaga.kommune.no

The programme covers the following safety promotion activities:

Children 0-14 years: The health center plays an important role in relation to injury prevention among children. The prevention begins before the child is born and is systematically followed up in connection to the routine controls of the child. This kind of prevention is mostly related to accidents at home.

Kindergartens and schools have an internal control system where among other thing inspections of playgrounds and registration of injuries are a common routine. Kindergartens work with management of grief and have an emergency plan. The schools have as well a plan against bullying. Traffic is on the agenda at kindergartens and schools at many different levels and will be further described below.

Youth 15-24 years: The municipality offers Health station for youth where problems can be discussed with a nurse or a doctor. "The Night Owls" is a group of voluntarily parents who are patrolling at night in the weekends to prevent problems like violence, drug and alcohol. A youth consultant has been employed in the municipality to work with problems related to the youth.

Adults 25-64 years: Programmes concerning adults is programmes of general character in areas like traffic, work life and leisure. See below.

Elderly 65+ years: There has been developed a specific programme in Vågå concerning all 75 year olds, which are offered a home visit by a nurse. A checklist that consists of 69 items is used to go through the details in the home and if some conditions are unsatisfactory, it will be followed up. In autumn vaccination against flu is offered and free grit is handed out to the elderly in wintertime. There is an annual Elderly Week with themes in relation to preventive actions.

At the following environments:
Home: Accidents at home are most common among the high risk groups children and the elderly and is prevented through information from the Health center and the above mentioned actions.

Traffic: A new Road Safety Plan will be finished in summer 2003 and the municipals future work with prevention in traffic will follow this plan.

Occupational: The municipal does cooperate with the agricultural Health, Environment and Safety Service and the Company Health Service to prevent accidents in worklife.

School: Prevention at school takes place at many different levels differing from a plan against bullying to daily work-out for all the pupils. Traffic is an area of main interest and one school has a bicycle policy where children are not permitted to go to school on bicycles until fifth grade. At another school they demand the children to wear a helmet before they are allowed to use their bicycles. Reflective waistcoats are sponsored by voluntarily and commercial organizations and are handed to the new pupils in first grade. All the schools cooperate with the school bus drivers as well as the police.

Sports: In the local sport clubs there is a focus on proper training, including warming up and the correct use of equipment. This focus has been reinforced by the employment of a sports consultant.

Leisure: A lot of accidents in Vågå happen in the out door life. Many of the possible dangers are prevented through the exchange of personal experience and the local tourist information plays an important role in informing the tourists. To prevent drowning accidents there are installed lifelines on certain wharf's. Use of helmets in the Alpine centre is common.

Violence prevention: It is not a common problem in Vågå municipality, and it is prevented through the establishment of "The Night Owls" where a voluntarily group of parents is patrolling at night in the weekends.

Suicide prevention: It is not a common problem in Vågå municipality but several professional groups in the health sector take care of prevention of this matter in their daily work. A cross professional group can be established in short time if neccesary.

Programs aiming at "High risk-groups": Yes, programmes for children, youth and the elderly. See above.

Surveillance of injuries:
Vågå Health Centre
Numbers per year: 364
Population base: 3801
Started year: 2001

Publications:
Scientific: No
Vågå, Norway - Application to Become a Member of the Safe Community Network

Produced information material, pamphlets:

Yes, in relation to a project "Health for the elderly" there is produced different information material.

Staff:

Number: 5
Professions: Pedagogical Consultant, Agriculture Adviser, Land use Planning and Environmental Consultant, District Medical Officer, Borough Engineer.
Permanent: Yes
Organization: A cross-sectional steering committee members is responsible for a working group each, covering the different problem areas in the municipal: Traffic, sport and out door life, children and youth, agriculture and employment and home accidents.
Specific intersectoral leadership group: Yes
General public health/health promotion group: Yes

International commitments:
Study visits: In Odense and Vejle County, Denmark, 2002.
Participation in Safe Community conferences: Participatedin Helsinki, Finland, 2003.
Hosting Safe Community Conferences: No, not yet.
Hosting "Travelling Seminars": No, not yet
Other: Participation in the appointment of Horsens and Nordborg municipalities as members of the Safe Community network in Denmark 2003.

Seminar: March 2004 with focus on injuries in out-door life.

For further information contact:
Ingunn Moen Helland
Vågå kommune
Edvard Storms Veg 2
NO-2680 Vågå
Norway
Phone: +47 61293617
E-mail: ingunn.moen.helland@vaga.kommune.no