Geographical Locations - Norway

• (Statistical) Number of Inhabitants per Doctor: 305
• CIA World Factbook : Norway

Organisations and Networks

UN and Multinational

• WHO
  - WHO Country Profile - Norway
  - WHO - Tobacco control: Country Profile - Norway
  - WHO - Environmental Burden of Disease: Country Profile – Norway
  - WHO – Progress in the Prevention of Injuries in the WHO European Region: Norway
• WHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO) in Copenhagen (Denmark)
• UNDP - Nordic Office

Government

• Ministry of Health and Social Affairs
  - National Institute of Public Health
• Ministry of the Environment
• Norwegian Social Science Data Services

Non-Government

• Dutch Association for Environmental Medicine
• FFO - Funksjonshemmedes Fellesorganisasjon - web-server of Norway's organisations of disabled persons
• League against Intoxicants - national drug prevention organisation
• Norsk Organisasjon for Revurdering av MArihuana Lovgivningen (NORMAL) - national organisation for the legalisation of cannabis
• Norwegian Society of Public Health
• NPA - Norwegian People's Aid
• Vereniging voor Volksgezondheid en Wetenschap

Academic Institutions

• University of Bergen
  - Centre for International Health, University of Bergen (Norway) - "an interdisciplinary and interfacultary institution, dedicated to initialise, co-ordinate and undertake health related research and educational activities of special importance for the UoB's co-operation with Third World countries. Since its foundation in 1988 by the faculties of Medicine, Dentistry and Psychology, CIH has been expanding rapidly. The CIH is administered under the Faculty of Medicine and focuses its activities on important health problems in developing countries".
  - Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care
• University of Tromsö, Institute of Community Medicine

National Policy and Related Documents

Reports, Guidelines, and Projects

• Diabetes: cost of illness in Norway
  Background: Diabetes mellitus places a considerable burden on patients in terms of morbidity and mortality and on society in terms of costs. Costs related to diabetes are expected to increase due to increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to estimate the health care costs attributable to type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Norway in 2005. Methods: Data on inpatient hospital services, outpatient clinic visits, physician services, drugs, medical equipment, nutrition guidance, physiotherapy, acupuncture, foot therapy and indirect costs were collected from national registers and responses to a survey of 584 patients with diabetes. The study was performed with a prevalence approach. Uncertainty was explored by means of bootstrapping. Results: When hospital stays with diabetes as a secondary diagnosis were excluded, the total costs were €293 million, which represents about 1.4% of the total health care expenditure. Pharmaceuticals accounted for €95 million (32%), disability pensions €48 million (16%), medical devices €40 million (14%) and hospital admissions €21 million (7%). Patient expenditures for acupuncture, physiotherapy and foot therapy were many times higher than expenditure for nutritional guidance. Indirect costs (lost production from job absenteeism) accounted for €70.1 million (24% of the €293 million) and included sick leave (€16.7 million), disability support and disability pensions (€48.2 million) and other indirect costs (€5.3 million). If all diabetes related hospital stays are included (primary- and secondary diagnosis) total costs amounts to €535 million, about 2.6% of the total health care expenditure in Norway. Conclusions: Diabetes represents a considerable burden to society in terms of health care costs and productivity losses. [author abstract] [BMC Endocrine Disorders 2010, 10: 15]
• Health Systems in Transition Norway
  This Health System in Transition (HiT) profile identifies the key strengths of the Norwegian health care system as the provision of health care services for all based on need, local and regional accountability, public commitment and political interest in improving the health care system. Health care reform has evolved in recent years from focusing on efficiency and leadership (1990s), to an emphasis on structural changes in the delivery and organisation of health care (since 2000).
• Migration and health: Challenges and trends
  "In the report, the Directorate of Health focuses on the diversity of the Norwegian population today, and the nature of the health challenges faced by society. These challenges concern both the individual circumstances of the patient and health care provider, and the organisation of the health service." [Reference Number: IS-1663 E: Norwegian Directorate of Health, 2009]
• Norway and Health - An introduction
  "There has been a growing interest abroad in the Norwegian health and care services. This booklet outlines the structure and some key factors that shaped the system into what it is today. It is firmly anchored in the Norwegian traditional political tenet that society is collectively responsible for the welfare of its citizens. Thus, an overarching aim is to provide services of high quality, available within acceptable waiting times and distances, reaching out to everyone regardless of their financial situation, social status, age, gender and ethnic background." [Reference Number: IS-1730 E: Norwegian Directorate of Health, 2009]
• Principles of action to tackle social inequality in health
  A small document presenting Action principles to tackle social inequalities in health from a Norwegian interdisciplinary expert group of scientist within the field. Report in Norwegian and English (scroll down document to find the English version). [The Norwegian Directorate of Health, adopted on 24 November 2005]
• Weight status and hypertension among adolescent girls in Argentina and Norway: Data from the ENNyS and HUNT studies
  Background: To provide data on overweight, obesity and hypertension among adolescent girls in Norway and Argentina. Methods: Data was obtained from two population-based, cross-sectional and descriptive studies containing anthropometric and blood pressure measurements of 15 to 18 year old girls. The study included 2,156 adolescent girls from Norway evaluated between 1995 and 1997, and 669 from Argentina evaluated between 2004 and 2005. Results: Around 15% of adolescent girls in Norway and 19% in Argentina are overweight or obese. Body mass index (BMI) distribution in these two countries is similar, with a low percentage (< 1%) of girls classified as thin. Norwegian adolescents show a height mean value 8 cm taller than the Argentinean. Obesity is strongly associated with systolic hypertension in both populations, with odds ratios of 11.4 [1.6; 82.0] and 28.3 [11.8; 67.7] in Argentina and Norway, respectively. No direct association between BMI and systolic hypertension was found, and only extreme BMI values (above 80th - 90th percentile) were associated with hypertension. Conclusion: This study confirms a current world health problem by showing the high prevalence of obesity in adolescents and its association with hypertension in two different countries (one developed and one in transition). [author abstract] [BMC Public Health 2009, 9:398]

Educational Resources

• CDC - Travel Information : Western Europe
• Newsletters from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health
  This site provides links to various newsletters containing public health information on HIV/AIDS, children's health, infectious disease control and news from the institute. Most available only in Norwegian.