title: Drowning and near-drowning in Northern Territory children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare incidences of drowing for children in the Northern Territory (NT) with those in Queensland and the rest of Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive, retrospective, population-based analysis of death and hospitalisation data for drowning and near-drowning.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children aged 0-14 years resident in Australia from 1983 to 1998.
  
  
  METHODS
  Age-standardised average annual incidence of drowning (1983-1998) and near-drowning (1994-1997) in children aged 0-4 and 5-14 years in the NT, Queensland and the rest of Australia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average annual incidence of drowning and near-drowning from 1994 to 1997 for children aged 0-4 years in the NT (67.82 per 100,000) was significantly higher than for Australia (24.45 per 100,000) (incident rate ratio [IRR], 2.77; 95% CI, 1.40-4.91) and for Queensland (32.55 per 100,000) (IRR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.05-3.94). The proportion of children aged 0-4 years drowning or near-drowning in swimming pools from 1994 to 1997 was also significantly higher in the NT (83%) than Australia (64%) (difference, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.086-0.30) and Queensland (65%) (difference, 0.18; 95% Cl, 0.069-0.29). From 1983 to 1998, the incidence of drowning in NT children aged 0-4 years increased by 0.4% per year (IRR, 1.004; 95% Cl, 0.994-1.070), compared with a 5.0% reduction per year (IRR, 0.950; 95% Cl, 0.937-0.963) in Australian children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidences of drowning and near-drowning in the NT are higher than in the rest of Australia and show no significant decrease. The NT should improve its measures for prevention of childhood drowning.
authors.affiliation: Territory Health Services, Casuarina, NT. karen.edmond@lshtm.ac.uk
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Edmond
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Attia
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Deste
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Condon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004332:Drowning / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015701:Near Drowning / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015876:Northern Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013551:Swimming Pools