Health of Hafnarfjörður residents enhanced in the health town

Health first in Hafnarfjörður!

The Sports Elf visited all the town's nurseries and the City of Hafnarfjörður's Happiness Days were extended from a week to a month last year and ran throughout September. The Sports Elf's visit and the Happiness Days were among the many projects and events that the Healthy City of Hafnarfjörður took part in during 2024. New partners took part in the days. The Health City's seventh annual report has been published. Many events were held during the year. These included:

• Summer-long treasure hunt in the uplands
• Two educational evenings at the Town Cinema
• Floating Yoga at the South Bay Pool
• Health and fitness initiative in community centres
• Health and Culture Walks over the summer
• Floating on Lake Hvaleyrarvatn

Projects related to the health town's objectives are constantly being reviewed and evaluated, and how a health-promoting community in Hafnarfjörður can be developed and strengthened. Much work is being done to promote physical activity. This includes:

• Participation in the joint walking map of the capital region
• Snow-making machine financed in partnership with the Ice Skating Club
• Walking paths, planning and vision

Safety was also considered, and this includes:

• The youngest year groups received high-visibility badges.
• Fit in FH. Health promotion for older residents.
• Drug Prevention Education Choose for everyone bakers
• Condoms for everyone in Year 10

The objective is clear

The main objectives of the health town of Hafnarfjörður are to increase well-being, physical activity, diet and outdoor activities in the hinterland. These objectives remain the driving force behind the steering group's project and reflect its choice of projects. To strengthen identity and well-being, it is necessary to reinforce the pillars and encourage all members of the community, young and old, to participate in general health promotion.

Many projects are underway in Hafnarfjörður to further enhance health. Among the planned projects for 2025 are:

• To increase the number of health-promoting nurseries in Hafnarfjörður, as most primary schools are already, but few nurseries are.
• Install one outdoor water fountain per year

A number of projects have now become established, such as the educational evenings at the Town Cinema, public health walks, runs, drug education and physical activity in community centres.

Working with the Chief Medical Officer

The number of healthy communities in the country is steadily increasing, and well over 90% of the country's inhabitants live in healthy municipalities. The project is in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, which introduced public health indicators last year to provide an overview of public health by region. These indicators can be found for Hafnarfjörður: Public Health Indicators 2024.

A good year of health promotion behind us

The team behind the health town's summary shows that the discussion of well-being in Hafnarfjörður in 2024 has been considerable, and has often concerned marginalised groups.

„The accessibility and participation of children with disabilities and children of immigrants in sports and leisure activities was involved. Indications suggest that these groups take part much less in sports and leisure activities, and this lack of participation and inactivity perpetuates their marginalisation. We are working to change this and to engage these groups,“ it says.

„2024 was a very good year for health promotion in Hafnarfjörður. The steering group, or Healthy Town Hafnarfjörður, took part in numerous projects, several of which were brand new. In addition, new partners were added who work towards the same goal as the Healthy Town's objectives. A good year behind us is a precursor to being able to continue with what went well and to develop further,“ it says, and the final words are:

„The Healthy Town continues, and the good old goals drive us forward to make Hafnarfjörður even better in 2025.“

Yes, this is how it's supposed to be!