Preventing Child Drowning in Indonesia: A Community-Informed Health Promotion Perspective.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatrics
• Community Health

Background:

• Child drowning is a critical public health concern in Indonesia.
• Community understanding of drowning risks and prevention methods is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore current and proposed child drowning prevention actions by parents and communities in Indonesia.
• To identify community perceptions on drowning risks and interventions.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study utilizing seven focus group discussions with 62 parents and community leaders.
• Thematic analysis employed deductive (Health Belief Model, Health Promotion Framework) and inductive approaches.
• Purposive and snowball sampling used for participant recruitment in Lombok Island.

Main Results:

• Participants prioritized individual-focused interventions like swimming lessons for children and life-saving skills education for adults.
• Awareness of midstream (water body safety, safe places) and upstream (policy, inter-agency collaboration) interventions exists but with limited understanding of departmental roles.
• Inconsistent and insufficient implementation of school-based swimming lessons was reported.

Conclusions:

• Effective child drowning prevention requires a multi-faceted approach, integrating behavioral interventions with policy and environmental changes.
• Further research is needed on formalizing swimming training in curricula, developing context-specific water safety programs, and strengthening cross-sector partnerships.
• Enhanced understanding and implementation of upstream and midstream interventions are crucial for sustainable drowning prevention in Indonesia.