Community Strategies To Reduce Risk Factors
Community strategies help in addressing issues that reduce risk factors. Opening up the avenues of communication to those seeking help is paramount in the community - to listen, to heal, and to act.
- Strengthening communities, increasing connections within communities. (eg. sports clubs, arts groups, service clubs, church groups, support groups, focused school programs).
- Health promotion
- Increasing community knowledge through booklets, media and a wide variety of resources.
- School based programs that promote resilience and self-esteem.
- Having a sense of responsibility for the children is a major protective factor
- Improving family communication skills[1]
- Increasing the number of positive experiences for children.
- Improve connections and support for elderly[2]
- Improve connections and support for parents.
- Providing support for families to find a balance.
- Maintain strict regulation of firearm licensing, storage and accessibility of guns.
- Promote change to car exhausts systems that cannot be used to suicide.
- Erect barriers at suicide sites where appropriate.
- Decrease the number of tablets of dangerous medication sold per packet and improve practitioner education on the dangers of certain medications.
- Policies to minimize substance abuse risks.
- Strengthening families
- Social media and technology
- Reducing the means – community strategies
[1] Australian Government, Department of Health and Ageing. (2008). Living Is For Everyone: Research and evidence in suicide prevention. Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia.
[2] De Leo, D., Hickey, P. A., Neulinger, K., & Cantor, H. (2001). Ageing and suicide. Canberra, Australia: Department of Health and Aged Care.
