Drowning prevention self-reported knowledge and intended practices among rural Vietnamese secondary school students: baseline findings from a cluster randomised community trial

Abstract

Objective: To assess baseline self‑reported knowledge and intended practices regarding drowning prevention among rural Vietnamese secondary school students participating in a cluster-randomised trial, and to identify associated factors.

Methods: This cross‑sectional baseline assessment was conducted from September 2022 to September 2023 among 2,160 students aged 12-14 years from six rural communes in Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province, Vietnam. A structured, self‑administered questionnaire measured sociodemographic characteristics, drowning prevention knowledge (14 items), and intended practices for self‑rescue and bystander response (13 items). Tobit regression with cluster‑robust standard errors (school‑level clustering) was used to identify factors associated with knowledge and intended practice scores.

Results: Median knowledge score was 6.82/10 (IQR: 4.09-8.18); median intended practice score was 6.00/10 (IQR: 4.00–8.00). Female gender (coefficient 0.74; 95% CI: 0.49-0.99) and information sources, including family members (0.38; 0.10–0.66), extracurricular lectures (0.41; 0.25-0.57), and media (0.63; 0.48-0.78) were positively associated with higher knowledge scores. Intended practice scores were positively associated with the same information sources but not with gender.

Conclusions: Important gaps exist in both drowning prevention knowledge and intended safety practices among rural Vietnamese secondary school students. Targeted school‑ and family‑based educational interventions, particularly those using diverse media and interactive formats, may help address these gaps.