Original Communication
Epidemiology of drowning in Mangalore, a coastal Taluk of South India

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2007.01.004Get rights and content

Abstract

Drowning is a major global public health problem which is amenable to prevention. According to the Global Burden of Diseases 2000 data, the number of deaths caused due to drowning is 449,000 people worldwide (7.4 per 100,000 population). The aim of this study is to derive a profile of drowning victims, to identify the successful drowning preventive measures that may be adopted or enhanced in Mangalore, a coastal Taluk of South India. Retrospective study of deaths caused due to drowning in an 11 years period between 1994 and 2005 was done by reviewing the medical records, the findings of which have been described later.

Epidemiologic profiles of populations at risk and the contributing factors are highlighted while public safety measures are recommended.

Introduction

Drowning is a major, but often neglected public health problem. Drowning affects all age groups but certain groups are particularly vulnerable. Most of the deaths caused due to drowning (nearly 97%) occur in developing countries like ours.1 In USA and Australia, drowning is the single leading cause of injury deaths in children 1–4 years of age.2 Drowning is the second leading cause of death from unintentional injury, after road traffic accidents.1 In India, death by drowning is not highlighted by the health authorities as a major area of concern. Water safety organizations and the public and legislature need adequate information about the circumstances of drowning to initiate the preventive action effectively. The lack of reliable statistical data concerning the impact of this specific form of death in our region/country needs to be emphasized and there has not been much research in this area. This is especially when hindsight often shows that many deaths from drowning are preventable. Data and knowledge about drowning can only help in better understanding of drowning and in turn lead to more effective measures to tackle the problem.

Mangalore is a beautiful Taluk, in the Southwest part of India with more than 9.3 lakhs of inhabitants, is surrounded by the Arabian Sea and river Nethravathi.

This paper aims to study the epidemiology of drowning in Mangalore, a coastal Taluk of India, over 11 years period. The purpose is to analyze and to quantify the magnitude of death from drowning, and to provide epidemiological data so that preventive measures can be undertaken.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

The data for epidemiological analysis were obtained from medical record department of District Wenlock Government Hospital, Primary Health Centers, Community Health Centers and Crime Statistics of Mangalore Taluk.

District Wenlock Government Hospital caters to more than 90% of all post mortem examinations in Mangalore Taluk.

Retrospective analysis of all deaths caused due to drowning that have been subjected to autopsy was done. Demographic data gathered included age, sex of the victim, site of

Results

The results of the epidemiological study are shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5 and Table 1, Table 2. Table 1 shows the drowning rates per lakh population and the total number of deaths caused due to drowning. Fig. 1 shows the distribution of deaths caused due to drowning according to sex. Fig. 2 depicts the trend in the death rates due to drowning in Mangalore Taluk during the study period. Table 2 sets out the gender of the drowning victims and the male to female ratio (x2 = 

Discussion

The data collected in the present study revealed several interesting facts about the drowning situation in Mangalore, a coastal Taluk of South India. Mangalore has a drowning rate per lakh population that varied from as low as 6.81 in 2002 to as high as 13.83 in 1994 in the study period of 1994–2005 as shown in Table 1. This is not comparable to the drowning related mortality per lakh population of 1–1.3 in the high income or developed countries of Europe and America.[3], [4], [5]

Also it is

Conclusion

The present study shows that while the drowning rates in Mangalore are generally comparable to those of low income or developing countries worldwide, the males in Mangalore Taluk are far more at risk of death by drowning than the females. It further shows that the age group of 21–30 years is at more risk of death by drowning and that the most likely locations for drowning incidents are wells/ponds, rivers and seas, respectively.

In the present study, we observed many victims getting drowned in

References (22)

  • R.M.K. Tan

    The epidemiology and prevention of frowning in Singapore

    Singapore Med J

    (2004)
  • Cited by (40)

    • Nonfatal drowning-related hospitalizations and associated healthcare expenditure in India: An analysis of nationally representative survey data

      2022, Journal of Safety Research
      Citation Excerpt :

      Similarly, those in the lower economic strata reported a higher proportion of hardship financing at 16.8% as compared to 2.0% of higher economic strata. Drowning is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity (Franklin et al., 2020; World Health Organization, 2014), particularly in LMICs such as India (Gupta et al., 2020; Lukaszyk et al., 2018; Suresh Kumar Shetty & Shetty, 2007). There is a dearth of research exploring nonfatal drowning, including the economic and social impact (Cenderadewi et al., 2020; Miller et al., 2019; Peden et al., 2018).

    • Characteristics of surfers as bystander rescuers in Europe

      2021, American Journal of Emergency Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      In addition, rescues are also performed by bystanders [5,6] who are recreating nearby, or, in the case of children, are often family [7]. In many nations, drowning in the coastal environment is a significant contributor to the overall drowning burden [8-10]. While the provision of lifeguards at aquatic locations is often recommended as a drowning prevention strategy [11], drowning incidents often occur at unpatrolled locations or outside of patrolled areas [12].

    • Drowning in Pretoria, South Africa: A 10-year review

      2016, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      This is very similar to that reported by the San Diego Medical Examiner for 2011, where deaths from drowning constituted 38 (1.3%) of 2853 cases which were autopsied.19 This figure is however significantly lower than that reported by Shetty et al. from India (1994–2005), where drowning deaths accounted for 13% of the forensic mortuary case load.20 The majority of the decedents admitted to the Pretoria MLL had been declared dead at the scene (61%).

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text