|
Affiliation
|
NCKU Research Center for Health Data and Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, Dah Hsueh Road, Tainan, 701, Taiwan. |
|
Abstract
|
BACKGROUND: This study assessed international variations in changes in drowning mortality rates and the quality of reporting specific information in death certificates over the past decade.
METHODS: Drowning mortality data of 61 countries were extracted from the World Health Organization Mortality Database. We calculated the percentage change (PC) in age-standardized drowning mortality rates and percentage of drowning deaths reported with unspecified codes between 2004 and 2005 and 2014-2015.
RESULTS: Of the 61 countries studied, 50 exhibited a reduction in drowning mortality rates from 2004 to 2005 to 2014-2015. Additionally, five countries-Lithuania, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, and El Salvador-with a high mortality rate in 2004-2005 (> 40 deaths per 100,000) showed improvement (PC < - 32%). By contrast, four countries-South Africa, Guyana, Morocco, and Guatemala-exhibited a more than twofold increase in mortality rates. Regarding the quality of reporting, 34 countries exhibited a decrease in the percentage of unspecified codes. Additionally, three countries-Paraguay, Serbia, and Croatia-with moderate and high percentages of unspecified codes (> 40%) exhibited a marked reduction (PC < - 60%), whereas three countries-Malaysia, Belgium, and Nicaragua-exhibited a notable increase.
CONCLUSIONS: Large international variations in the extent of changes in drowning mortality rates and the quality of reporting specific information on the death certificate were observed during the study period.
Language: en |