Community risk perceptions and recommendations for drowning prevention: A qualitative study across West Bengal, India
- 1Injury Division, The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia
- 2School of Social Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- 3Meta-research and Evidence Synthesis, Health System Science, The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia
Abstract
Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related mortality worldwide, with disproportionate impacts on low- and middle-income countries. West Bengal, India, is characterized by extensive exposure to natural water bodies and marked regional and urban–rural heterogeneity. There is limited research on community risk perceptions and contextual drivers of drowning in this area, which constrains the design of effective prevention strategies. This qualitative study applied a phenomenological approach and conducted 46 focus group discussions involving a total of 339 participants from urban and rural communities across all 23 districts of West Bengal. Districts were selected based on recent drowning incidents. Adult residents were purposively sampled with support from local humanitarian organization. Data collection combined semi-structured interviews in local language, audio recording, and thematic analysis, iteratively coded to saturation using NVivo software. Four major themes emerged: (1) infrastructure and risk varies between urban and rural regions for instance differences in use and type of water sources, healthcare access and community connectedness; (2) Community awareness of population vulnerability, environmental risks, and other contextual exposures to drowning were identified where children, elderly, domestic migrant workers and non-swimmers were found to be vulnerable; (3) Adaptive response to threat through prevention, accessibility and rescue methods included informal rescue, reliance on traditional beliefs and expressions of fatalism; (4) Community recommendations based on lived experiences and risk perception of drowning were focused on fencing water bodies, enhancing childcare programs, strengthening medical infrastructure and providing swimming instruction. Infrastructure gaps and climate variability further heighten drowning risks in particularly exposed regions and households. Community risk perceptions underscore urgent priorities for drowning prevention in West Bengal. While findings are consistent across districts, intervention priorities vary according to regional needs.Strategies should strengthen supervision, physical barriers, childcare, water safety education, and access to critical care, informed by local perceptions and practices.
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BibTeX
@article{bhowmick2026community,
title = {{Community risk perceptions and recommendations for drowning prevention: A qualitative study across West Bengal, India}},
author = {Debayanti Bhowmick and Soumyadeep Bhaumik and Jagnoor Jagnoor},
journal = {PLOS Global Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pgph.0007377},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0007377},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Community risk perceptions and recommendations for drowning prevention: A qualitative study across West Bengal, India
AU - Debayanti Bhowmick
AU - Soumyadeep Bhaumik
AU - Jagnoor Jagnoor
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
JO - PLOS Global Public Health
DO - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0007377
UR - https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0007377
AB - Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related mortality worldwide, with disproportionate impacts on low- and middle-income countries. West Bengal, India, is characterized by extensive exposure to natural water bodies and marked regional and urban–rural heterogeneity. There is limited research on community risk perceptions and contextual drivers of drowning in this area, which constrains the design of effective prevention strategies. This qualitative study applied a phenomenological approach and conducted 46 focus group discussions involving a total of 339 participants from urban and rural communities across all 23 districts of West Bengal. Districts were selected based on recent drowning incidents. Adult residents were purposively sampled with support from local humanitarian organization. Data collection combined semi-structured interviews in local language, audio recording, and thematic analysis, iteratively coded to saturation using NVivo software. Four major themes emerged: (1) infrastructure and risk varies between urban and rural regions for instance differences in use and type of water sources, healthcare access and community connectedness; (2) Community awareness of population vulnerability, environmental risks, and other contextual exposures to drowning were identified where children, elderly, domestic migrant workers and non-swimmers were found to be vulnerable; (3) Adaptive response to threat through prevention, accessibility and rescue methods included informal rescue, reliance on traditional beliefs and expressions of fatalism; (4) Community recommendations based on lived experiences and risk perception of drowning were focused on fencing water bodies, enhancing childcare programs, strengthening medical infrastructure and providing swimming instruction. Infrastructure gaps and climate variability further heighten drowning risks in particularly exposed regions and households. Community risk perceptions underscore urgent priorities for drowning prevention in West Bengal. While findings are consistent across districts, intervention priorities vary according to regional needs.Strategies should strengthen supervision, physical barriers, childcare, water safety education, and access to critical care, informed by local perceptions and practices.
SN - 2767-3375
ER -