Abstract
AB016. Understanding drowning and water safety interventions in Uganda: results of a youth-led community health assessment in rural lakeside communities
Kyra Guy1, Ava Ritchie1, Peninah Tumuhimbise2, Moses Kalanzi3, Heather Wipfli1
1USC Global Research, Implementation, and Training Lab, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA;
2Energy in Action, Plot 1847 Omulen Close, Nsambya, Kampala, Uganda;
3Swim Safe Uganda, Masese, Jinja, Uganda
Correspondence to: Heather Wipfli, PhD. International Relations/Political Science, USC Global Research, Implementation, and Training Lab, University of Southern California, 837 Downey Way, Los Angeles, California, 90089, USA. Email: hwipfli@usc.edu.
Background: Drowning is a major cause of death in Uganda, especially among young adults whose livelihoods depend on water activities. Information about drowning and other water-related deaths and injuries is limited. To address this gap, youth community-based research assistants in the Mayuge district of eastern Uganda assessed knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about drowning and drowning prevention interventions within their respective communities.
Methods: This study consisted of a mixed-methods, cross-sectional community health assessment. Research was conducted in 10 landing sites of 6 sub-counties within Mayuge district located on Lake Victoria and included 50 head of household interviews, 15 key informant interviews, landing site observations, and focus group discussions with 30 youth to assess community knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. Participants were sampled by convenience from residents who offered written informed consent. Local youth participation in the education of community members and data collection and dissemination processes was encouraged. Data were collected using paper questionnaires and audio recorders.
Results: Less than one-third (30.9%) of households reported that at least one family member can swim. According to key informants, access to drowning prevention services differed slightly among sub-counties, though 95.8% of households were not aware of any aquatic emergency response system in their community. 64.2% of all respondents reported no knowledge of any safety measures around the lake and observation data reinforced the lack of standard drowning prevention infrastructure. The majority of households (85.7%) have experienced a drowning incident in their area.
Conclusions: The data highlight a need for water safety services and interventions in lakeside communities in eastern Uganda. As one of the first major studies and data collection efforts of drowning prevention in the country, the results reveal gaps in drowning prevention services, access, and knowledge which should be addressed in future interventions.
Keywords: Drowning; injury; drowning prevention; community health; climate change
Acknowledgments
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://jphe.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/jphe-2023-apru-ab016/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2013). The study was approved by the Ethics Board of University of Southern California (No. UP-22-00133) and Gulu University Institutional Review Boards (No. GUREC-2022-261) and informed consent was obtained from all individual participants.
Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the noncommercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
doi: 10.21037/jphe-2023-apru-ab016
Cite this abstract as: Guy K, Ritchie A, Tumuhimbise P, Kalanzi M, Wipfli H. AB016. Understanding drowning and water safety interventions in Uganda: results of a youth-led community health assessment in rural lakeside communities. J Public Health Emerg 2024;8:AB016.
