TY - JOUR
T1 - Drowning among the lakeside fishing communities in Uganda
T2 - results of a community survey
AU - Kobusingye, Olive
AU - Tumwesigye, Nazarius Mbona
AU - Magoola, Joseph
AU - Atuyambe, Lynn
AU - Olange, Olakunle
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/7/3
Y1 - 2017/7/3
N2 - The study aimed to determine the drowning burden in four Ugandan lakeside districts; the prevalence of life jacket use, and community knowledge and attitudes regarding water safety. Subjects were recruited as they disembarked from boats. A structured questionnaire was used for demographics, experience on water, details of incidents in water, and awareness of drowning prevention measures. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews were held. The study interviewed 544 participants; 81.1% male, 86.8% below 45 years, and 51.1% involved in the fishing industry. A quarter (26.1%) of the respondents were observed wearing life jackets as they disembarked. Participants who had been in a boat that nearly capsized (57.8%), or that actually capsized (21.7%), were no more likely to wear life jackets than those who had not had these experiences. Three quarters (73.2%) did not know how to call for rescue, and only 48.7% could swim. There drowning fatality rate in this community was 502 deaths per 100,000 population. Majority of drowning events occurred during transportation (51.7%) or fishing (39.0%). The most frequently mentioned factors were stormy weather and overloading. Drowning is a common threat to young adults in the fishing communities around Lake Victoria. Few preventive interventions are in place.
AB - The study aimed to determine the drowning burden in four Ugandan lakeside districts; the prevalence of life jacket use, and community knowledge and attitudes regarding water safety. Subjects were recruited as they disembarked from boats. A structured questionnaire was used for demographics, experience on water, details of incidents in water, and awareness of drowning prevention measures. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews were held. The study interviewed 544 participants; 81.1% male, 86.8% below 45 years, and 51.1% involved in the fishing industry. A quarter (26.1%) of the respondents were observed wearing life jackets as they disembarked. Participants who had been in a boat that nearly capsized (57.8%), or that actually capsized (21.7%), were no more likely to wear life jackets than those who had not had these experiences. Three quarters (73.2%) did not know how to call for rescue, and only 48.7% could swim. There drowning fatality rate in this community was 502 deaths per 100,000 population. Majority of drowning events occurred during transportation (51.7%) or fishing (39.0%). The most frequently mentioned factors were stormy weather and overloading. Drowning is a common threat to young adults in the fishing communities around Lake Victoria. Few preventive interventions are in place.
KW - Drowning
KW - boat safety
KW - fishing
KW - life jackets
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84976871303&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84976871303&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/17457300.2016.1200629
DO - 10.1080/17457300.2016.1200629
M3 - Article
C2 - 27378544
AN - SCOPUS:84976871303
SN - 1745-7300
VL - 24
SP - 363
EP - 370
JO - International journal of injury control and safety promotion
JF - International journal of injury control and safety promotion
IS - 3
ER -