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Abstract
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OBJECTIVES: To explore trends in unintentional fatal drowning among older adults (65 years and older).
METHODS: Total population retrospective analysis of unintentional fatal drowning among people aged 65 years and older in Australia, Canada and New Zealand (2005-2014) was conducted.
RESULTS: 1459 older adults died. Rates ranged from 1.69 (Canada) to 2.20 (New Zealand) per 100,000. Trends in crude drowning rates were variable from year to year. A downward trend was observed in New Zealand (y = -.507ln(x) + 2.9918), with upward trends in Australia (y =.1056ln(x) + 1.5948) and Canada (y =.1489ln(x) + 1.4571). Population projections suggest high annual drowning deaths by 2050 in Australia (range: 120-190; 1.69-2.76/100,000) and Canada (range: 209-430; 1.78-3.66/100,000). Significant locations and activities associated with older adult drowning differed by country and age band.
CONCLUSIONS: Drowning among older adults is a hidden epidemic claiming increasing lives as the population ages. Targeted drowning prevention strategies are urgently needed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other similar countries.
Language: en |