DROWNING

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DROWNING PREVENTION

• Lora E Fleming MD PhD MPH MSc
• University of Miami School of Medicine

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Outline

• Definitions
• Statistics
• Risks
• Causes
• Prevention

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Drowning Definitions

• Drowning
• A suffocation resulting in death lt 24 hours of
  being submerged in water
• Near Drowning
• An incident resulting in survival gt 24 hours
  after being submerged in water

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Drowning Statistics

• In 2000, there were 3482 unintentional drownings
  in the United States, an average of 9/day.
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
• It is estimated that for each drowning death,
  there are 1 to 4 nonfatal submersions serious
  enough to result in hospitalization..with at
  least half of survivors suffering significant
  neurologic impairment.
• American Academy of Pediatrics 

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Drowning Statistics

• Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of
  injury-related death among children lt 15 years.
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• 19 drowning deaths involving children occur in
  public pools with certified lifeguards present.
• Drowning Prevention Foundation

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Why Should We Care?

• The State of Florida averages 400 deaths/yr
• California, Arizona Florida
• Leading cause of injury related death for
  children lt 5 years
• Cost of Drowning Near Drowning
• 400,000,000/year

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Who is Affected?

• Vulnerable Populations
• Geography Southern States
• Gender Males gt 81 of drowning victims
• Age Children are the most vulnerable

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Differences by Race

• Vulnerable Populations
• Race
• Blacks age adjusted drowning rate gt 1.5 times
• Difference dependent on age range
• lt 4 yrs Whites have a higher rates
• gt 4 yrs Black children 2.5 times

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Differences by Race

• Vulnerable Populations
• Race
• American Indians Alaska Native children 2x
• Unlike white children, they tend to drown in
  natural bodies of water

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Why do people drown?
"(She) was left unattended for about one or two
minutes when she drowned Monday, police said."
(AP) Jacksonville was the location of the
tragedy, the victim aged 18 months, the setting a
bathtub. But 15 times in 1998 similar stories
were repeated in Lee County. Six (6) of the dead
were lt 18 years.
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Why to people Drown?
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Why do people drown?

• Causes
• Access
• Ethanol
• gt 50 for Adolescents Adults
• Adult Supervision
• Children
• Lack of Education

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Where Bathtubs
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Where Buckets Toilets
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Where Pools

• pool

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Marine Waters
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Where Lakes Other Water Bodies
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Where Recreational Water Activities
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Where Occupational Water Activities
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Ethanol Water Activities
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Prevention

• f

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Prevention Pool Fencing
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Prevention Education Warnings

• Buckets

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Prevention Education Warnings
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Prevention Targeted Education
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Prevention Swimming CPR
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Conclusions

• Drowning is preventable
• Warnings
• Supervision
• Targeted Education
• Age etc
• Access
• Intervention

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Thank you
Gina Mena (2001)