Implementation and Results of a Survey on Safe Community Programs in Gangbuk-gu, Korea: Focusing on Participants at a Local Public Health Center

Abstract

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of and problems with the Safe Community Programs in Gangbuk-gu, one of the 25 districts of the capital city of Korea.MethodsThe study subjects were 396 individuals who were involved in Safe Community Programs between 2009 and 2011. We examined the effectiveness and willingness of respondents to participate as a safety leader of the Safe Community Program with a questionnaire. We examined the injury death rates of Gangbuk-gu by using of the death certificate data of Korea's National Statistical Office. Descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests were used.ResultsThe effectiveness of programs did not differ but active participation differed significantly among subjects (p<0.05). The injury death rate of Gangbuk-gu as a whole increased during the implementation period. However, senior safety, in particular, may be a helpful program for reducing injuries in Gangbuk-gu.ConclusionsThis study suggests that the lack of active participation may be a major problem of Safe Community Programs in Gangbuk-gu. Therefore, Safe Community Programs should be expanded to the entire district of Gangbuk-gu and more active participation programs should be developed.

The Safe Community Concept – A Successful Tool for Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion

“…Successful Safe Community programmes. There are numerous of successful working Safe Community initiatives in the various continents of the world [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. A number of studies in Europe, mainly in Sweden evaluated the effect of Safe Community programs.…”

“…The study on Gangbuk-gu Safe Community showed that Safe Community program might be a helpful programme for enhancing senior safety. The qualitative outcomes, such as bringing the residents' attention to the safety, significant active participation and coordination of stakeholders, should also be considered as important factors of the communitybased initiatives [25,26]. In Iran, injury -related fatality rate significantly decreased in Kashmar Safe Community, when compared with control groups [27].…”