{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T15:20:16Z","timestamp":1783005616880,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782950400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pediatr."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Childhood drowning is a major public health issue in Bangladesh, especially in rural and island regions. This cross-sectional study explored the gap between perceptions and actual drowning risks by surveying 322 respondents from the northern mainland and Sandwip Island. A purposive sampling strategy was used to identify households with child drowning experiences, and data were collected using a culturally adapted, semi-structured questionnaire. Statistical analyses, including logistic and linear regression, examined associations between perceptions, drowning mortality, and sociodemographic factors. Although 90.37% of respondents believe drowning is preventable, only 5.28% teach their children how to respond during incidents, and 84.47% lack rescue knowledge. Surprisingly, willingness to send children to childcare centers was associated with higher reported drowning deaths (aOR: 3.69). Geographic and income disparities influenced risk perception, with island residents reporting lower awareness (\n                    <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u2009\u22120.04) and higher-income respondents showing greater perception. Findings highlight a critical mismatch between awareness and action, emphasizing the need for community-based prevention strategies, safety audits of childcare facilities, and targeted interventions for low-income populations.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2026.1843830","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T15:09:56Z","timestamp":1783004996000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exploring the paradox between perception and actual childhood drowning risk: an evidence-based study in Bangladesh"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Edris","family":"Alam","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Resilience, Rabdan Academy","place":["Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates"]},{"name":"Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Chittagong","place":["Chittagong, Bangladesh"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Md Mostafizur","family":"Rahman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Disaster Management & Resilience, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Bangladesh University of Professionals","place":["Dhaka, Bangladesh"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tannin","family":"Jeffrey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Disaster and Development Organization (DADO)","place":["Chattogram, Bangladesh"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Denboy","family":"Kudejira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"African Synthesis Centre for Climate Change, Environment and Development (ASCEND), University of Cape Town (UCT)","place":["Cape Town, South 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