Drowning Risk Among Children Aged 0-4 Years in Surin Province: Exploratory Research

Abstract

Drowning is the leading cause of death among children aged 0-4 years due to unintentional injuries. This exploratory research aimed to investigate the risk of drowning in households with children aged 0-4 years in rural areas of Surin Province. The study, which took place in June 2024, included a total of 249 households. The researcher designed a drowning risk screening tool for children in this age group. The findings revealed that there were 305 children aged 0-4 years, with an average age of 2.1 years (S.D.=1.3), 53.1% of the children were female. Environmental risks indicated that 90.6% of households were located near water sources and lacked fences or barriers. The most common water sources inside the homes were basins (79.5%), followed by water tanks in bathrooms (74.3%) and buckets (73.5%). Outside the homes, the most common water sources were water jars (62.2%), followed by fish basins/lotus basins (22.9%), wells (22.1%), and paddling pools (19.3%). The study identified risk behaviors among primary caregivers that increased the likelihood of drowning incidents, included alcohol consumption (18.5%), a history of sedative medication use (1.6%), a history of abuse (1.2%), a history of harming others (0.8%) and a
history of limb weakness (0.4%). Additionally, personal risks included children with developmental delays (1.6%) and a history of epilepsy (0.3%). These findings underscore the various risk factors associated with drowning, including environmental factors, caregiver behaviors, and the children themselves. Therefore, it is crucial to implement planning and preventive measures to address these risk factors in order to reduce drowning incidents among children.