Activities in brief

1. The Survey on Swimming Skills, Household Injury Hazards and Children Sleep Pattern

Child injury has been identified as the major cause of mortality and morbidity in Bangladesh. The leading mechanisms for injury in children are drowning, burn, falls and poisoning. Literature shows that environmental, household hazards and human behavior are responsible for the occurrence of these injuries. The Survey on Swimming Skills, Household Injury Hazards and Children Sleep Pattern was conducted in 2004. The objectives of the survey were to determine swimming skills of Bangladeshi population, identify the injury hazards at household level, and to explore the sleep pattern of Bangladeshi children. The study revealed that 20 percent of children who were 5 years and below could swim. Risks and hazards of various injuries including burns, cuts, and poisoning, electrocution, drowning and animal injuries were found in a significant number of households in both urban and rural areas. It was also determined that almost all under 5 children sleep with their parents in the same bed. About 80 percent of the infants sleep in prone position.

2. Prevention of Child Injuries through Social-intervention and Education (PRECISE):

 

Prevention of Child Injuries through Social-intervention and Education (PRECISE) is the largest community based injury intervention programme ever initiated in the developing countries. It has been implemented in three rural and one urban community in Bangladesh. A total population of 800,000 is coverage by the project. The PRECISE includes three main components: Home Safety Programme, School Safety Programme, and Community Safety Programme. A unique Injury Surveillance System records changes in injury patterns as critical monitoring tool for all aspect of the project.

The two main objectives of the project are: to develop and implement injury prevention packages applicable to the home, schools, and within the communities; and to evaluate the effectiveness of these intervention for cost and large scale application. The goal of the project is to reduce child and parental mortalities, morbidities and disabilities due to injuries by developing and implementing comprehensive prevention programmes that can be reproduced in a cost effective manner.

As community based injury prevention is such a new concept in developing countries like Bangladesh, the PRECISE team determined that advocacy is essential to inform and involve the broadest possible parts of the communities at the earliest possible time.

Home Safety Programme

The objective of the Home Safety Programme is to create a Safe Home by removing physical hazards and changing the risk behaviours of the occupants. Community based health workers visit every home every month to educate the occupants and motivate them to minimize injury hazards

 

School Safety Programme

Grade specific books for school children grade 1 to 8 have been developed on injury prevention. Strategies for training of teachers, training manuals, and teachers guide have also been developed. Teachers’ training will be completed by December 2006. Teaching-learning programme on injury prevention for students will start in 2007.

Community Safety Programme
Water Safety, Anchal (Crèche), Social Autopsy and Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) are the main components of Community Safety Programme.



Water Safety programme

In the water safety programme children 4-10 years learn to swim under supervision of a trained Community Swimming Instructor (CSI). In addition to swimming teaching, the CSIs educate community people about water safety. Bangladesh Swimming Federation and The Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA) are providing technical support to the programme.






Anchal (Crèche) Programme

Anchal is a unique programme for 1-5 years old children. It provides space for around 15-20 children. Anchal continues from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., six days a week. This is the most vulnerable time for children to become the victim of any injuries during the time there caregivers are busy there works. A trained Anchal mother supervises the children and provides Early Childhood Development (ECD) activities.

Social Autopsy Programme

Social Autopsy brings a group within a village together to determine how negative event like a child death occurred and what can be done individually and collectively to prevent such event in future. Social Autopsy helps to increase awareness of injury prevention practice and motivate community people to alter or remove environmental risks and hazards.

 

Injury Surveillance System

The PRECISE Project clearly recognized the need for better data, and has created a community based Injury Surveillance System, (ISS), to help monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions being employed in the program. Information collected by the ISS can also help policymakers, programme managers and donor agencies in many development areas in Bangladesh including health and economic development.


Behaviour Change and Communication Programme

BCC includes courtyard meeting, interactive popular theatre, interactive video shows, rally and various competitions including art, essay and swim for children. BCC programme helps community people to better understand injury and its prevention and encourage them to be involved in the programme.

Other programmes

Anti Rabies vaccine is made available in Upazila Health Complexes of PRECISE project areas  to reduce animal injury mortality.

Prehospital and Emergency Injury Care system have been designed and implemented in the project areas to provide care to the injury victims. Health personnel and trained volunteers are the service providers.

Capacity building of the PRECISE project personnel

• Community Swimming Instructors (CSIs) have been trained in “Water Safety” programme.
• Crèche(Anchal) mothers have been trained in crèche management and ECD activities and concepts.
• Health care providers and community volunteers have been trained in First Response and emergency care.
• Health care providers, community volunteer and community leaders have been trained in injury prevention activities.

 Upcoming Programmes

3. Childhood Unintentional Injury Surveillance
This project will focus on measuring the magnitude of unintentional childhood (0-12 years) fatal and nonfatal injuries, which includes fall, drowning, burn, road traffic injury, poisoning and animal bite. This will be the first multi-country evaluation of unintentional childhood injury burden using standardized methods.


4. Appraisal of Human Resources and Infrastructure for Injury Prevention and Control in Bangladesh
This study has been designed to collect and document available information on injury and violence, and to assess the availability of human resources and infrastructure along with the extent of injury problem to place injury prevention on the public health agenda in Bangladesh. It will also provide all necessary information to develop a national injury prevention strategy and action plan.           


5. Activate Bangladesh: Campaign for promotion of sports and activities among Bangladeshi young
Sport is a means to achieve health standards and enjoyment. Most importantly, to look at sport from a national point of view as one of the means with immense potentials to resolve conflicts and to create cohesiveness in a society by promoting unity within a nation. However, a decreasing fascination of children and youths towards sports has been noticed. Lack of playgrounds and sports equipment, education pressure, lack of encouragement and sports injuries are thought to be the causes of the decreasing fascination. To address this issue Activate Bangladesh: Campaign for promotion of sports and activities among Bangladeshi young has been designed.

Human Resource Development

• Short course on Injury Surveillance System
• Short course on Injury Epidemiology
• Guiding postgraduate and under graduate students of different universities in home and abroad.