Drowning: the Silent Killer of Thai Children

Abstract

To explore the magnitude of child drowning and to examine the factors associated with drowning and near drowning among children in Thailand, the national survey which covered 32 provinces in the 5 regions of Thailand was set. The sample was a representative group that included urban and rural components. The total sample size was 100,000 households, or 389,000 individuals. A preliminary analysis shows that drowning was a leading cause of death of children, the mortality rate of children age 1-4 and 5-9 were 45.53 per 100,000 and 42.82 per 100,000 respectively. Most fatal drownings occurs in natural bodies of water. About half of all drowning deaths occur within 100 meters of the child’s home. Rivers are the leading location of drowning in the 5-9 age groups (66%) and in children generally (1 to 17, 51%). There are many factors associated with drowning including environmental factors, ability to swim, natural bodies of water, and distance of water source from the home. Reducing child drowning, particularly for the under-five requires developing ways to increase close adult supervisions as well as reducing access to drowning hazards close to home. This could be by using play pens or door barriers for very young children, and fences or other barriers around water bodies for older, more adventurous children. These measures need to be conjunction with close supervision and swimming lessons.