Doctoral Candidate Jennifer Callaghan and Dr. Adnan Hyder Make Progress toward Reducing Drowning Deaths in Bangladesh

The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health recently published work from Jennifer Callaghan, a collaborator with the International Injury Research Unit and a doctorial candidate in the Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study, entitled “Child supervision practices for drowning prevention in rural Bangladesh: a pilot study of supervision tools,” demonstrates that drowning prevention methods such as using playpens are generally accepted by parents in Bangladesh.

The study also demonstrates the benefits of introducing these types of interventions to households through community-based programs. The results indicate that when households in Bangladesh are provided with supervision tools such as playpens, they use them. The authors state, however, that additional field trials are needed in order to establish the effectiveness of these tools at reducing child drowning.

Ms. Callaghan led the project, along with Dr. Adnan Hyder who is the director of the International Injury Research Unit. The researchers point out that injuries are a growing child health concern and are now a leading cause of child death in many developing countries, including Bangladesh. In fact, drowning is the second leading cause of injury-related death among children worldwide. More research around drowning is needed so that governments can make informed, evidence-based decisions about the interventions that work.

For more information about this research, or to download the full text, please click here.