Results of the implementation of the drowning prevention program for children in 12 provinces of Vietnam 2018 - 2022

Abstract

Drowning is a serious issue in Vietnam, with nearly 2,000 children under the age of 16 dying each year. To promote interventions aimed at preventing drowning, this cross-sectional study collected data from the Drowning Prevention Program for Children in Vietnam, which has been ongoing since 2018 and covers 12 provinces. The study synthesized secondary data from project databases and gathered primary data through a survey of 1,500 households, while also conducting in-depth interviews to preliminarily assess outcomes after five years of intervention. The program has provided free safe swimming lessons to 31,594 children aged 6 to 15 and taught water safety skills to over 52,000 children. The percentage of children who can swim in the project areas increased from 14.7% to 32.6%, surpassing the national average. Consequently, the drowning rate among children in these areas showed a significant decline, from 15.52 per 100,000 children in 2018 to 13.89 per 100,000 children in 2022. The program also revealed that 57.8% of parents are willing to pay more than 500,000 VND for swimming lessons, reflecting the community’s interest and commitment to drowning prevention.