Unintentional drowning in urban South Africa: a retrospective investigation, 2001–2005

Donson, Hilton; Niekerk, Ashley van

doi:10.1080/17457300.2012.686041

Cited by 25 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Adult males were found to be 2.39 times higher at risk of drowning than females in this study. Our findings of higher risk among the male population are similar to other studies on drowning from other countries 3, 17, 18 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Epidemiology of adulthood drowning deaths in Bangladesh: Findings from a nationwide health and injury survey

Hossain¹,

Biswas²,

Mashreky

et al. 2017

F1000Res

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Background: Annual global death due to drowning accounts for 372,000 lives, 90% of which occur in low and middle income countries. Life in Bangladesh exposes adults and children to may water bodies for daily household needs, and as a result drowning is common. In Bangladesh, due to lack of systemic data collection, drowning among adults is unknown; most research is focused on childhood drowning. The aim of the present study was to explore the epidemiology of adulthood drowning deaths in Bangladesh. Methodology: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to December in 2003 among 171,366 rural and urban households, with a sample of 819,429 individuals to determine the epidemiology of adulthood drowning in Bangladesh. Results: Annual fatal drowning incidence among adults was 5.85/100,000 individuals. Of these, 71.4% were male and 28.6% were female (RR 2.39). In total, 90% of the fatalities were from rural areas. Rural populations were also found to have a 8.58 times higher risk of drowning than those in urban areas. About 95% of drowning occurred in natural water bodies. About 61.6% of the deaths occurred at the scene followed by 33.5% at the home. Of the drowning fatalities, 67% took place in water bodies within 100 meters of the household. Among the drowning fatalities 78.4% occurred in daylight between 7.00 and 18.00. Over 97% of the victims were from poor socio economic conditions with a monthly income tk. 6,000 ($94) or less. Only 25.5% of incidences were reported to the police station. Conclusions: Every year a significant number of adults die due to drowning in Bangladesh. Populations living in rural areas, especially men, were the main victims of drowning. This survey finding might help policy makers and scientists to understand the drowning scenario among adults in Bangladesh.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Epidemiology of adulthood drowning deaths in Bangladesh: Findings from a nationwide health and injury survey

Hossain¹,

Biswas²,

Mashreky

et al. 2017

F1000Res

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“…[3] Extrapolation from forensic pathology data in the Western Cape provides an estimation of 4/100 000 fatal drownings per year, which is similar to the World Health Organization's estimations for low-income countries in Africa. Despite only an estimated 1 in 4 cases being reported, Africa has the highest rate of drowning in the world.…”

Section: Epidemiologysupporting

confidence: 54%

“…[2] Regret tably, there are no consistent published data for SA, but preliminary information from Lifesaving South Africa (LSA) reveals similar trends in age demographics, although true numbers are largely unknown. [3] Extrapolation from forensic pathology data in the Western Cape provides an estimation of 4/100 000 fatal drownings per year, which is similar to the World Health Organization's estimations for low-income countries in Africa. Despite only an estimated 1 in…”

Section: Epidemiologysupporting

confidence: 54%

Update on drowning

Matthew

Robertson²,

Hofmeyr

2017

S Afr Med J

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An 18-year-old matriculant goes to the beach with friends to celebrate his school results. The ensuing boisterous party includes consumption of alcohol. As dusk falls, he goes for a swim with his girlfriend. She is soon seen waving frantically to their friends back on the beach. He has disappeared below the water surface. Their friends swim out, and after 10 minutes they manage to find him, and bring him to shore. They immediately start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), while calling for help. BackgroundDespite being essential to life, water, which comprises >60% of our body mass and covers >75% of the surface our planet, continues to be an occupational and recreational threat to humans. Drowning among young adults in South Africa (SA) is unfortunately especially common. Poor swimming ability due to historical lack of access to facilities, concomitant alcohol use and easy access to rivers, lakes and the ocean are all contributing factors. This is compounded by relatively limited resources to respond to drowning incidents across wide, unpatrolled areas, resulting in a growing burden of disease affecting the younger population groups in SA. Recognition of a drowning event is also a problem, as not every drowning victim will indicate their need for assistance (Fig. 1). This review examines the evidence and recommendations on drowning from an African perspective, and brings the health fraternity one step closer to developing guidelines for our country. DefinitionDrowning is defined as the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from either submersion or immersion in liquid. [1] Drowning outcomes are classified as either drowning with mortality, drowning with morbidity, or drowning without morbidity.[1] Other older terms (such as wet, dry or near drowning) have been deemed unhelpful, and have been abandoned. EpidemiologyDrowning epidemiology varies dramatically worldwide, but is notably more severe in low-to middle-income countries. US data report ~4 000 drowning deaths, 8 000 hospitalisations and 31 000 emer gency department (ED) visits per year for children ˂19 years old.[2] Regret tably, there are no consistent published data for SA, but preliminary information from Lifesaving South Africa (LSA) reveals similar trends in age demographics, although true numbers are largely unknown. [3] Extrapolation from forensic pathology data in the Western Cape provides an estimation of 4/100 000 fatal drownings per year, which is similar to the World Health Organization's estimations for low-income countries in Africa. Despite only an estimated 1 in 4 cases being reported, Africa has the highest rate of drowning in the world. [4] This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0. Drowning is defined as the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from either submersion or immersion in liquid. Drowning morbidity and mortality are an under-recognised public health burden in southern Africa. Continuous concerted efforts are underway to improve awareness among recreational water use...

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“…Drowning surveillance was the primary aim in only seven of the included articles and reports. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] The drowning burden in SA In the included articles and reports, the majority of data reported were sourced from Stats SA (n=12) and the SAMRC-VIPRU National Injury Mortality Surveillance Sys- Full text screened for eligibility, n=4…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Keeping our heads above water: A systematic review of fatal drowning in South Africa

Saunders

Sewduth²,

Naidoo

2017

S Afr Med J

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This review suggests that SA drowning prevention initiatives are currently confined to the early stages of an effective injury prevention strategy. The distribution of mortality across age groups and drowning location differs substantially between urban centres and provinces. There is therefore a need for detailed drowning surveillance to monitor national trends and identify risk factors in all SA communities.

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Unintentional drowning in urban South Africa: a retrospective investigation, 2001–2005

Cited by 25 publications

References 20 publications

Epidemiology of adulthood drowning deaths in Bangladesh: Findings from a nationwide health and injury survey

Epidemiology of adulthood drowning deaths in Bangladesh: Findings from a nationwide health and injury survey

Update on drowning

Keeping our heads above water: A systematic review of fatal drowning in South Africa

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