 Adnan Hyder
Bangladesh Bloomberg School of Public Health, MPH program
The World Heath Organization has found childhood drowning as the 11th leading cause of death among children 0-4 years of age, and the 8th leading cause of death in Southeast Asia (Deen et al., 1999). Hyder et al. (2003) found that in Bangladesh, upwards of 20-25 percent of mortality in children between the ages of 1-4 years may be caused by drowning. They also found that a variety of actions are taken when attempting to resuscitate a drowning child (Hyder et al., 2003). We propose to evaluate the effectiveness of cultural and indigenous resuscitation techniques for childhood drowning in Bangladesh. In collaboration with the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research (ICDDR), we will visit villages and individuals in the delta region of Bangladesh. Through the use of photography and videography, as well as interviews, we will document the techniques used for childhood resuscitation. These techniques will then be evaluated for effectiveness against the Standard of Care currently used in the United States. Recommendations will then be made. A follow-up effort will include the development and implementation of training materials and courses which will be used to educate primary health providers and caregivers in effective resuscitation techniques. It is hoped that through these efforts, a reduction in childhood mortality as a result of drowning can be realized.
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