Determinants of lifejacket use among boaters on Lake Albert, Uganda: a qualitative study

Abstract

BackgroundDrowning is a major cause of unintentional injury death worldwide. The toll is greatest in low and middle-income countries. Over 95% of people who drowned while boating in Uganda were not wearing a lifejacket. We explored the determinants of lifejacket use among boaters on Lake Albert, Uganda.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative enquiry with a hermeneutic phenomenological undertone leaning on relativism ontology and emic subjectivism epistemology. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were held with boaters in 10 landing sites. We explored experiences and perspectives on lifejacket use. We used thematic analysis technique to analyse data and report results according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research.ResultsWe recruited 88 boaters in 10 FGDs and 11 to take part in the IDIs. We identified three themes: motivators and opportunities for lifejacket use, barriers and threats to lifejacket use, and strategies to improve lifejacket use. Many boaters attributed their lifejacket use to prior experience or witness of a drowning. Perceived high costs of lifejackets, limited knowledge, reluctance to use lifejackets because of distrust in their effectiveness, and the belief that it is women who should wear lifejackets were among the barriers and threats. Participants mentioned the need for mandatory enforcement together with community sensitisations as strategies to improve lifejacket use.ConclusionDeterminants of lifejacket use among boaters include experience or witness of drowning, limited knowledge about lifejackets and distrust in the effectiveness of the available lifejackets. Mandatory lifejacket wearing alongside educational interventions might improve lifejacket use.

Lifejacket wear and the associated factors among boaters involved in occupational boating activities on Lake Albert, Uganda: a cross-sectional survey

“…There could be other influencers. Previous studies found that people do not wear lifejackets because of distrust in the quality of the lifejackets available at the landing sites, while others perceived a low risk of drowning especially when the waters are calm 12 16 31. In another similar setting like Tanzanian Lake Victoria fishing communities, lifejacket wear was low at 2%13 but substantially higher at 26% among the Ugandan counterparts on the same lake 12…”

“…A previous study found that the boaters usually hang on their boats in the event of a boat capsize, citing it as one of the substitutes for lifejacket wear. 31 …”

“…There was less lifejacket wear among the boaters who had ever experienced a boat capsize. A previous study found that the boaters usually hang on their boats in the event of a boat capsize, citing it as one of the substitutes for lifejacket wear 31…”

Analysis and evaluation of the thermal performance of combinations of suits and life jackets in water

“…Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide. 1 The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) reported that approximately 70% of deaths in water-related accidents were due to drowning. 2 It is estimated that accidental drowning caused approximately 295,210 deaths worldwide in 2017.…”

“…The Transport Canada report TP13822E 8 shows that if the body core temperature decreases by more than 2 C, the thermoregulatory mechanism will fail, and the core temperature decrease can cause physical functional damage or even be life-threatening to the person in the water. Tipton and Brooks 9 pointed out that after 1 School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Tiangong University, China 2 School of Textile Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, China a person falls into cold water, the initial cold shock response may cause the person in the water to die within 3-5 min, and such death cases are common. After a person has fallen into the water, survival time is directly proportional to water temperature: 15-30 min at 0 C, 30 min at 5 C, l h at 10 C, and 2 h at 15 C. So long as cold-water immersion is an important factor threatening the life and safety of drowning victims, 10 life jackets should provide adequate thermal protection to increase the survival rate of those who fall into the water, and reduce the number of drowners who die from cold shock or hypothermia after prolonged immersion in cold water.…”