title: A case-control study of boat-related injuries and fatalities in Washington State.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify risk factors associated with boat-related injuries and deaths.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a case-control study using the Washington Boat Accident Investigation Report Database for 2003-2010. Cases were fatally injured boat occupants, and controls were non-fatally injured boat occupants involved in a boating incident. We evaluated the association between victim, boat and incident factors and risk of death using Poisson regression to estimate RRs and 95% CIs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 968 injured boaters, 26% died. Fatalities were 2.6 times more likely to not be wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) and 2.2 times more likely to not have any safety features on their boat compared with those who survived. Boating fatalities were more likely to be in a non-motorised boat, to have alcohol involved in the incident, to be in an incident that involved capsizing, sinking, flooding or swamping, and to involve a person leaving the boat voluntarily, being ejected or falling than those who survived.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing PFD use, safety features on the boat and alcohol non-use are key strategies and non-motorised boaters are key target populations to prevent boating deaths.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stempski
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schiff
authors.affiliation: Department of External Affairs and Guest Services, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA Department of Emergency Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Quan
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011998:Recreation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012767:Ships; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D055815:Young Adult