Volume 110, Issue 7 pp. 2126-2133
REGULAR ARTICLE

Can child drowning be eradicated? A compelling case for continued investment in prevention

Amy E. Peden

Corresponding Author

Amy E. Peden

Royal Life Saving Society—Australia, Broadway, NSW, Australia

School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia

Correspondence

Amy E. Peden, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney, Samuels Building, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia.

Email: [email protected]

Search for more papers by this author
Richard C. Franklin

Richard C. Franklin

Royal Life Saving Society—Australia, Broadway, NSW, Australia

College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia

Search for more papers by this author
Tessa Clemens

Tessa Clemens

Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 12 October 2020
Citations: 13

Abstract

Aim

To explore temporal trends in fatal child drowning and benchmark progress across three high-income countries to provide prevention and future investment recommendations.

Methods

A total population analysis of unintentional fatal drownings among 0- to 19-year-olds in Australia, Canada and New Zealand from 2005 to 2014 was undertaken. Univariate and chi-square analyses were conducted, age- and sex-specific crude rates calculated and linear trends explored.

Results

A total of 1454 children drowned. Rates ranged from 0.92 (Canada) to 1.35 (New Zealand) per 100 000. Linear trends of crude drowning rates show both Australia (= −0.041) and Canada (= −0.048) reduced, with New Zealand (y = 0.005) reporting a slight rise, driven by increased drowning among females aged 15-19 years (+200.4%). Reductions of 48.8% in Australia, 51.1% in Canada and 30.4% in New Zealand were seen in drowning rates of 0- to 4-year-olds. First Nations children drowned in significantly higher proportions in New Zealand (X2 = 31.7; P < .001).

Conclusion

Continual investment in drowning prevention, particularly among 0- to 4-year-olds, is contributing to a reduction in drowning deaths; however, greater attention is needed on adolescents (particularly females) and First Nation's children. Lessons can be learned from each country's approach; however, further investment and evolution of prevention strategies will be needed to fully eradicate child drowning deaths.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Data used in this study are coronial data and bound by strict ethical constraints. Such constraints do not allow for the uploading of data to an online data repository. Those interested in accessing the data should email author AEP ([email protected]).

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.