Harstad injury prevention study: prevention of burns in young children by community based intervention

Abstract

Objective-To describe the long term eVectiveness of a community based program targeting prevention of burns in young children. Design-Quasiexperimental. Setting-The Norwegian city of Harstad (main intervention), six surrounding municipalities (intervention diVusion), and Trondheim (reference). Participants-Children under age 5 years in the three study populations. Methods-Outpatient and inpatient hospital data were coded according to the Nordic system, and collected as part of a national injury surveillance system. Burn data collection started in May 1985. The first 19.5 months of the study provided baseline data, while the last 10 years involved community based intervention, using a mix of passive and active interventions. Results-The mean burn injury rate decreased by 51.5% after the implementation of the intervention in Harstad (p<0.05) and by 40.1% in the six municipalities (not significant). Rates in the reference city, Trondheim, increased 18.1% (not significant). In Harstad and the six surrounding municipalities there was a considerable reduction in hospital admissions, operations, and bed days. Interventions with passive strategies were more eVective, stove and tap water burns being eliminated in the last four years, while active strategies were less eVective. Conclusions-A program targeting burns in children can be eVective and sustainable. Local injury data provided the stimulus for community action. (Injury Prevention 1998;4:176-180)

Evaluation of Safe Kids Week 2001: prevention of scald and burn injuries in young children

“…12 In comparison, the "Harstad Injury Prevention Study"-a community based educational campaign in Norway-showed long term declines in scald and burn injury rates in children under 5 years in the intervention community, compared with an increase in injury rates in the control community. 13 …”

Severe childhood burns in the Czech Republic: risk factors and prevention

“…7,8 There was an increasing trend in scalds from electric kettles, devices which were unknown in the 1980s. In 1993, no case was recorded, but in 2000, there were 22 cases.…”

Brannskader hos barn i Bergen

“…Den skadeforebyggende modellen fra Harstad har vist seg effektiv i et mindre lokalsamfunn. Den omfatter både aktive og passive forebyggende tiltak via en kommunal handlingsplan der helsesøstertjenesten spiller en spesielt aktiv rolle (7). Det hadde vaert interessant å se om liknende, lokale intervensjoner av høy kvalitet, kunne ført til en reduksjon i antall brannskader blant barn i Bergen i løpet av den neste niårsperioden.…”

“…De fleste brannskader er forutsigbare og kan forebygges med enkle midler. Forebyggende intervensjoner kan effektivt hindre brannskader, noe som er vist i både utenlandske og norske studier (7,8). En Cochrane-oversikt fra 2004 etterlyser flere gode studier av effekten av kommunalt baserte, brannskadeforebyggende tiltak (8).…”