Community-based injury prevention: recommendations for Vancouver's North Shore

Background: Injury is a major cause of hospitalization and death across all age groups in Canada, British Columbia and Vancouver’s North Shore. Injury prevention saves lives, reduces disability and reduces the economic burden on our health care system. Methods: In this study, I reviewed the components of community-based injury prevention strategies and investigated the barriers to implementing a community-based injury prevention program on the North Shore. Findings: Lack of surveillance, awareness, accountability, coordination, resources and evaluation pose significant barriers to the implementation of an injury prevention strategy on the North Shore. Successful community-based injury prevention models require community participation, multidisciplinary collaboration and adapting interventions to local context. The Safe Communities model is discussed as a framework for community-based injury prevention. A comprehensive community-based injury prevention strategy is recommended to reduce the local burden of injury on Vancouver’s North Shore.