5. Drowning deaths, Australia 1994

(ICD9 E-code 910)

Table 5.1 Key indicators of drowning deaths

Indicator	Males	Females	Persons
Cases	209	41	250
Percent of all injury deaths	4%	2%	4%
Crude rate/100,000 pop	2.4	0.5	1.4
Age-adjusted rate/100,000 pop	2.3	0.5	1.4
Change in adj. rate since 1993	-9%	-35%	-14%
Average years lost before age 75 yrs	43	45	44

Age and sex distribution

The full introduction of special drowning codes occurred in 1992. These drowning codes allow a more detailed analysis of drowning episodes (see data issues).
Males aged 0-4 and 15-39 years had significantly higher drowning rates than females. In all other age categories the male drowning rate was higher but not statistically different to the female rate; the all ages male rate was almost 5 times the corresponding female rate.
In 1994, 17% (n=36) of all male drowning deaths occurred to children 0-4 years. Of these, 19 were attributed to "fell, wandered into private swimming pool" and a further 5 were recorded as "fell, wandered into lake, lagoon, dam etc.".
Female rates were down 34% from 1993. The fall in rates was due in part to a decrease in the number of 0-4 year old drownings, down 43%, and drowning deaths at 60 or more years, down 57%.
Swimming in open areas such as the ocean, rivers, lakes and dams etc., accounted for 19% of all drowning deaths, with 50% of these being persons aged 15-39 years.

The overall drowning rate has fallen by almost 40% since 1979. Rates for young children 0-4 years have decreased by 56% (36% males, 77% females).
A BHOA target for the year 2000 is to reduce drowning deaths of young children 0-4 years by 50% of the 1992 rate of 5.9 deaths per 100,000. The 1994 0-4 years rate of 3.7 deaths per 100,000 is 37% below the 1992 base, indicating that this target is achievable.
In Figure 5.2, the lower lines for males and for females show trends in rates of "accidental drowning". The upper line in each pair shows rates including the other identifiable drowning cases. (Almost all drowning cases at ages 0-4 years are coded to the "accidental drowning" (E910) category, so only one line has been charted for this age group.)

The rate for the ACT was significantly lower than the national rate in 1994. However, only one case of accidental drowning was registered in the ACT in 1994.
The rate for the NT whilst being the highest, was not significantly different than the national rate, as was the case in 1993. Relatively small numbers of drowning deaths in this territory (1993 n=10; 1994 n=7) result in large fluctuations making comparisons difficult.
No other state or territory differed significantly from the national rate.