నైరూప్య

Parents perceptions and practices toward child drowning prevention: A qualitative approach

Amornrat Ngamsuoy and Wanpen Songkham

Background: Child drowning is the critical public health problem across the world. Although Thailand has learned from experiences of developed nations, Thai parents may encounter huge challenge on reducing risks of child accidental drowning. We therefore aimed to understand Thai parents’ perceptions and practices of their child drowning prevention in and around their home. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted amongst seven parental Mother/Father couples from a municipality of one Thai province. All participants consented to take part in the study trough 50 minute in-depth individual interviews, providing a wide range of data. Thematic analysis was undertaken and brings about three main themes relating to their perceptions and practices. Results: The perceptions and practices of 14 participants are expressed in three themes and three sub themes. The results show that parents’ awareness and practices towards child drowning prevention were inadequate. Parents often taught and supervised the child to keep safety from drowning. However, the participants also revealed the requirement of education support need from health professionals. Conclusion: Participants illuminated their understanding and daily behavior regarding child drowning prevention based on their perceptions and experiences. The findings can be valuable contribution to inform paediatric nursing curriculum, child healthcare practice, child health policy in Thailand and beyond.