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KEY WORDS

Drowning

Water storage

Infant

Child preschool

Accident-prevention

Received: 2015-11-18

Accepted: 2017-02-22

Abstract:

Background: Unintentional drowning is the leading cause of death for children younger than 5 years old. A bucket is one of the most common water container in which children can drown. The objective of this work was to evaluate the base diameter of a bucket and the necessary force to shed it.

Methods: This was an experimental study. We used six galvanized buckets of different diameters. Each selected bucket was pulled using a pulley with other buckets full of water until the water spilled out. The statistical analysis was done by linear regression with p less than 0.05 as statistically significant.

Results: This research shows a direct relation between the wide base diameter (in a bucket 23 cm high, 25 cm rim, with a 20 cm water depth) and the strength required to spill the liquid contents (β= 1.21; x= diameter of the base in centimeters; α= -14.59; r= 0.99 and p less than 0.001).

Conclusions: We conclude that the bucket structure could determine the risk of child drowning. The risk could increase directly as its base width increases.

Introduction

A Drowning is a common and preventable health problem1 and it is one of the leading causes of lethal non-intentional injuries in children younger than 5 years old.2, 3 The locations of bodies of water associated with drowning vary with children's ages and stage of development, though the "home" is one of the most frequently reported location.1,4,5 At home, children around 3-4 years old drown most frequently in cisterns, wells, sinks or trenches, whereas children around 1 or 2 years old drown in buckets or bathtubs.3,4,6 In the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (Jalisco State, México), buckets represent the second most frequent body of water where children 1- 4 years old drown at home, representing 21.2% of all cases. In first place was the underground cistern, with 39.4%.7,8 According to Leon,8 preschool children can drown when the water depth reaches 2.5 cm, and the risk increases as water reaches depths of 20 or more centimeters.9

Infant and preschool children have characteristics and behaviors that increase the risk of drowning. These include imperfect motor coordination, staggering gait, fragmentary observation, incapacity, development of independence, and...

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