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Original research
Disparities in unintentional drowning fatalities in Texas, USA, 1999–2020
  1. Anushka Abedin1,
  2. David F Zane2,
  3. Karla A Lawson3,4,
  4. Molly B Johnson3,5
  1. 1School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Tyler, Texas, USA
  2. 2Injury Epidemiologist (Ret.), Austin, Texas, USA
  3. 3Trauma and Injury Research Center, Dell Children's Medical Center, Austin, Texas, USA
  4. 4Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, The University of Texas Dell Medical School, Austin, Texas, USA
  5. 5Kinesiology Department, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Molly B Johnson, Trauma and Injury Research Center, Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, Austin, Texas, USA; molly.johnson2{at}ascension.org

Abstract

Background Drowning is the third-leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide. Although the USA as a whole bears a heavy burden, with approximately 4000 drowning fatalities annually, Texas stands out as a high-risk state for drowning due to its large population, suitable climate for year-round aquatic activities and availability of water-related recreational opportunities.

Methods Using mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research online database, this retrospective, cross-sectional study overviews the magnitude and patterns of fatal unintentional drownings among Texans from 1999 to 2020.

Results Over the 22-year period, 7737 Texans died from unintentional drowning. An average of 352 drowning deaths occurred annually, with a rate of 1.4 deaths per 100 000 population. The highest proportion of unintentional drownings occurred in natural water settings (eg, lakes, ponds or rivers), accounting for 40% of fatal drownings. Children aged 1–4 years had the highest drowning death rate compared with all other age groups. Male Texans had a drowning death rate three times higher than that of female Texans. Black Texans had a higher drowning death rate than White Texans and Asian or Pacific Islander Texans.

Conclusions Drowning remains a significant public health issue in Texas. Data on high-risk groups and settings should be used to strengthen drowning prevention efforts and policy initiatives and encourage more research to address the multifaceted factors contributing to drowning.

  • Drowning
  • Health Disparities
  • Mortality
  • Recreation / Sports

Data availability statement

Data are available in a public, open access repository. Data are free and available to the public on CDC WONDER, https://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html.

https://doi.org/10.1136/ip-2024-045323

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available in a public, open access repository. Data are free and available to the public on CDC WONDER, https://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html.

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors DFZ and MBJ contributed to the study design and manuscript writing. AA led data retrieval and manuscript writing. All authors contributed to data analysis and interpretation, as well as manuscript preparation and revision. All authors approved the manuscript as submitted. MBJ is responsible for the overall content as guarantor and accepts full responsibility for the finished work and/or the conduct of the study, had access to the data, and controlled the decision to publish

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.