Analysis of the childhood fatal drowning situation in Bangladesh: exploring prevention measures for low-income countries.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the epidemiology of child drowning in order to propose possible interventions for Bangladesh and other similar low-income countries.


METHODS
Population-based cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Rural and urban communities in Bangladesh.


METHODS
About 352,000 children 0-17 years were selected from over 171,000 households, using multistage cluster sampling.


METHODS
Incidence of fatal drowning.


RESULTS
Drowning was the leading cause of death (28.6 per 100,000 child-years) in children aged 1-17 years. The highest incidence (86.3 per 100,000 child-years) was in children aged 1-4 years. More than two-thirds of drownings occurred in ponds and ditches. Most drownings (85%) happened in daylight. In more than one-third of cases of drowning, the child was alone. In the two-thirds of cases in which the child was accompanied, almost half were with children who were 10 years or below. Only 7% of drowned children over 4 years of age knew how to swim.


CONCLUSIONS
Drowning is a major cause of childhood mortality in Bangladesh. Creating drowning-safe homes, improving supervision of children, modifying the environment, and developing water safety skills for children and the community may be effective interventions for drowning prevention.
Rahman
A
A
Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB), Dhaka, Bangladesh. aminur@bdonline.com
Mashreky
S R
SR
Chowdhury
S M
SM
Giashuddin
M S
MS
Uhaa
I J
IJ
Shafinaz
S
S
Hossain
M
M
Linnan
M
M
Rahman
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003906:Developing Countries; D004332:Drowning / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health; D014504:Urban Health