Drowning fatalities of children in Tasmania: differences from national data.
All drownings of people under 15 years of age in Tasmania from 1981 to 1993 were identified from the Tasmanian coroner's case files. Age- and sex-specific mortality rates were calculated and found to be similar to Australian drowning mortality rates. An exception was the lower drowning rate for Tasmanian females aged 0 to 4 years. Only 9 per cent of drowning deaths were caused by immersion in a swimming pool, 32 per cent of deaths occurred in dams and ponds and 21 per cent occurred in a river. Most drownings (88 per cent) associated with dams, ponds, swimming pools and baths were in the 0-to-4-year age group. Compared with Australia as a whole, toddlers drowning in swimming pools is uncommon in Tasmania; however, there are relatively more drownings in dams and ponds. Strategies for the prevention of drowning in childhood in Tasmania should consider the hazards associated with rural living.
Riley
M D
MD
Menzies Centre for Population Health Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
Larson
A
A
Langford
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004332:Drowning / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D013648:Tasmania / Q000453:epidemiology