TMSS Medical College Journal

Background: Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in Bangladesh and claims the lives of approximately 50 children per day. Rates of drowning are higher in rural populations, most likely due to high number of water sources in rural areas compared to urban areas. Proper knowledge can ease the mortality and morbidity of victims. Objective: To assess the knowledge regarding drowning among rural people in a selected area of Joypurhat, Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive type of cross-sectional study conducted at Parulia and Keshobpur villages of Kalai, Joypurhat district in September, 2025. Purposive sampling technique was adopted for selecting respondents >18 years of age from rural population. Sample size was 287. Data were collected by face-to-face interview. A pre-designed, pre-tested, structured questionnaire was used as a tool for collecting data. Ethical issues were maintained strictly at every stage of the study. Results: The study revealed that, out of 287 respondents, majority (26.83%) belonged to the age group below or equal to 30 years. In this study about 60% were female, around 51.57% were housewives and 26.1% had no formal education. Majority (84%) of respondents live near water bodies. About 15% mentioned that their family members had experienced drowning in the past. 97% said children were most vulnerable to drowning and 86% mentioned that drowning mostly occurs during monsoon season. Regarding preventive measures, 44.84% said that it is necessary to keep children away from water bodies, 29.26% mentioned everybody should learn how to swim. In regard to first aid knowledge, 71% said that they should jump into water to save a drowning victim, 45% said to call for help and 3% don't know how to rescue a drowning victim. After rescuing a drowning victim, 72% of participants said that they should press the stomach, 58% preferred hospital treatment and 0.3% did not know what to do. Only 17% of respondents said they had taken any health education or training on drowning and 68% mentioned that they need more information on this topic. Study findings signify the need for further awareness programs for rural residents to educate them on this neglected yet preventable public health emergency. Conclusion: Still now rural people have little knowledge along with some misconceptions regarding this issue and necessary steps should be taken by the concerned authority to enhance appropriate treatment-seeking behavior, highlighting the need for targeted public health interventions.

The third most common cause of unintentional injurydeaths globally is drowning. The most vulnerablegroups to drowning include men, children, and thosewith greater access to water. With an expected 236,000drowning deaths in 2019, drowning is a significantglobal public health issue.' Around 300,000 drowningdeaths occur each year, according to the WHO in 2024,making it a significant global public health issue. In2017, drowning claimed the lives of about 110,000individuals in Commonwealth nations.’ Over half ofall drowning deaths worldwide occur in the WesternPacific and South-East Asia regions. In 2021,drowning injuries accounted for almost 8% of alldeaths globally. Children and young people aredisproportionately affected by drowning. Nearly 25%of drowning deaths occur in children under the age of lives of about 43 children every day. Because there aremore water sources in rural areas than in urban ones,drowning rates are higher in rural communities.’According to the 2016 Bangladesh Health and InjurySurvey (BHIS), drowning is the primary cause ofmortality for children aged 0 to 17; at least 14,438children perish from drowning each year.‘ Accordingto a recent poll, 83% of drowning victims wereyoungsters between January 2020 and June 2021.According to data released by UNICEF and theNational Institute of Population Research andTraining, two-fifths (42%) of all children inBangladesh between the ages of one and four diedin 2011. childrenbetween the ages of 0 and 4 are almost three timesmore likely to drown than children between the ages of10 and 17. The risk of drowning is significantly higher from drowning Interestingly, in rural children.*° Children in low- and middle-income nations are sixtimes more likely to drown to death than children inhigh-income countries, and multiple studies indicatethat youngsters between the ages of one and four aremost at danger. In Bangladesh, drowning is a seriouspublic health issue that poses a serious risk tochildren's survival. According to a nationwide survey,80% of drownings in children under five occurredwithin 20 meters of the family home, mostly in ponds,followed by trenches and water containers.’ Though drowning is a serious public health issue, it hasnot received the same attention as other significantcauses of infant death. In rural people, traditional first aid and resuscitationresponses to drowning are very poor. However, thecommon practices on management of drowning in thecommunity is not well documented in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, as in other developing countries, sociodemographic and economic factors may influence child drowning, but the evidence isinsufficient. Understanding these various risk variablesis vital for developing effective preventative programs.Against this backdrop, this study explored an in-depthunderstanding of surrounding circumstances andassociated factors of each drowning child fatalityoccurring in Bangladesh. In addition, this paper seeksto fill the knowledge gap on drowning deaths in priorresearch and provide updates on related factors for child drowning fatalities in Bangladesh. This study aims to assess the knowledge of ruralpopulations in a selected area of Joypurhat regardingand drowning, focusing on prevention, first aid, andtreatment-seeking behaviors. The findings will behelpful for further public health interventions.