585 Integrating community engagement with lifeguard services in Bangladesh: a holistic approach to drowning prevention

<h3>Background</h3> The 2016 Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey reported over 19,000 annual drowning deaths, with 14,500 affecting children. The surge in local and international tourists in Cox’s Bazar amplifies drowning risk, for factors such as inadequate supervision, limited swimming skills, and lack of rescue and first aid proficiency. Responding to this crisis, CIPRB initiated SeaSafe, aiming to implement effective drowning prevention measures through a beach lifeguard service, learn-to-swim programme, and community engagement activities. <h3>Objective</h3> This study aims to evaluate the effect of integration of community engagement with the lifeguard service to holistically reduce drowning incidents in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. <h3>Programme Description</h3> <h3>SeaSafe has two intervention components: </h3> -Lifeguard service at popular tourist beaches providing rescue services, and -Community engagement for communities in high-risk coastal and inland areas. <h3>Outcomes and Learnings</h3> From 2015 to 2023, SeaSafe’s lifeguards executed 341 rescues, saving 581 lives, demonstrating the tangible impact of the lifeguard service. Simultaneously, 155,000 children received water safety education in schools, with 28,000 educated on beaches, and 36,000 adults received water safety education in communities. The community engagement intervention, costing approximately USD 11,000/year, is significantly more cost-effective than the lifeguard service, which incurs an annual cost of USD 100,000. The lifeguard service’s impact is visible through rescues, but its geographical coverage is limited, while community engagement has a broader reach, relying on community responsiveness for its effectiveness. <h3>Implications</h3> The SeaSafe program integrates lifeguard services and community engagement, emphasizing a synergistic approach to drowning prevention. While the lifeguard service focuses on rescues, community engagement empowers broader communities to actively combat drowning. Despite cost-effectiveness, the community engagement component’s efficacy depends on community responsiveness. The combined efforts not only enhance drowning prevention but also have economic and governmental implications, potentially boosting tourism and gaining local government support. <h3>Conclusions</h3> SeaSafe’s integrated approach effectively addresses the high rate of drowning incidents in Cox’s Bazar. SeaSafe’s success underscores the importance of integrated approaches, combining lifeguard services with community engagement, to combat drowning effectively. This model holds potential as a valuable blueprint for global drowning prevention efforts, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and contributing to coastal community safety.