Prevention of childhood accidents in Sweden. With special attention to the Work of the Joint Committee for Prevention of Accidents.

In the industrialized countries accidents constitute one of the greatest threats to children and Sweden was no exception to this. A joint committee was thus formed in 1954 to co-ordinate preventive work. Official bodies for health and education, safety organizations, some professional groups and voluntary organizations, were members of the Committee from the beginning. The Committee's role has been to stimulate investigations and research in safety, to work for a safer environment through planning and safety regulations and to provide information to parents and other key-groups. An important part of the preventive effort has been research, which has emphasized the seriousness of the problem and provided a basis for sefety work and subsequent information. Information has been channeled through the mass media as well as child welfare centres, schools and local groups which have become involved in safety matters. In order to make the environment safer the Swedish Board for Consumer Policy has a programme to test household equipment. The National Board of Urban Planning has drawn up regulations for the design of homes and their immediate surrounding. There seems to be a better understanding today of this important health problem. A tendency toward a lower number of fatal accidents can also be seen through the last few decades.