Awareness of Parents/Caregivers on Child Drowning Prevention in 8 provinces in Viet Nam, 2018

Objective: To describe the awareness of parents and caregivers on drowning prevention for children under 15 in 8 provinces, Viet Nam, 2018.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 849 people who are parents/caregivers representing households with children under 15, living in the same area with drowning cases being recorded in statistics for the period 2015 - 2017. Data collection was conducted through quantitative interviews with structured questionnaires.

Findings: Awareness of parents/caregivers on child drowning risk and prevention was fairly good. A high proportion of parents (98.4%) considered ponds, lakes and rivers as the most risky places for drowning. Boys were at a higher drowning risk compared to girls; 92.1% of parents thought that swimming lessons were an effective drowning prevention measure and children should start learning to swim at the age ranging from 6 -11 (61,8%).

Conclusion: Parents/caregivers had awareness of risk factors, causes, possibilities as well as drowning prevention measures for children.