Knowledge, practices of primary caregivers on drowning prevention of children under 15 years old in 6 suburban districts of Hanoi City in 2022 - 2023

Abstract

In Vietnam, as of 2020, more than 2,000 children under 16 years old died each year from drowning. The drowning mortality rate in 2019 was 6.8/100,000 children, higher than other countries in the Southeast Asian region. A cross-sectional descriptive research was conducted in 6 districts of Hanoi among 304 children under 15 years old, aiming to describe and understand knowledge, practices, and some factors related to drowning prevention practices of caregivers. The results showed that the proportion of primary caregivers in 6 districts with knowledge about drowning prevention was high (99.3%); however, the proportion of the practice was only 11.5%. The related factors that affected the practice include the caregiver’s age, education, number of children living together, and caregivers with difficult economic conditions and low incomes often had poorer practice. This research showed that the proportion of practice in drowning prevention was still low, and it is necessary to improve the implementation of drowning safety precautions for parents and kids under the age of fifteen.