title: Fatal Drownings in Fiji.
abstract: Drowning is a newly comprehended public health concern in Fiji. Defined as "the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersions or immersion in liquid," drowning has been identified as one of Fiji's 5 leading causes of death for those aged 1 to 29 years. The aim of this article was to develop the most parsimonious model that can be used to explain the number of monthly fatal drowning cases in Fiji. Based on a cross-section of 187 drowning incidents from January 2012 to April 2015, this observational study found the number of monthly drownings in Fiji was significantly affected by monthly rainfall ( P = .008, 95% confidence interval = 0.10-0.62) and the number of days comprising public holidays/weekends ( P = .018, 95% confidence interval = 0.06-0.60). Furthermore, the multiple coefficient of determination ( r2= .4976) indicated that almost half the variation in drownings was explained by rainfall and public holidays/weekend periods. Inadequate supervision, an inability to identify or carry out safe rescue techniques, and limited water-safety knowledge were identified as common risk factors. To overcome this preventable cause of death, technically guided interventions need to be actively embedded into a range of government policies and community health promotions, disaster management, and education programs.
authors.affiliation: 1 Water Safety Council of Fiji, 3014, Lami, Fiji.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: 2 University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004332:Drowning / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D005367:Fiji / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: El Nino Southern Oscillation; Fiji; Pacific Island countries; drown; holiday; public health; rainfall; season