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.
Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB), Dhaka, Bangladesh. aminur@bdonline.com
A
A
Rahman
S R
SR
Mashreky
S M
SM
Chowdhury
M S
MS
Giashuddin
I J
IJ
Uhaa
S
S
Shafinaz
M
M
Hossain
M
M
Linnan
F
F
Rahman
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