International Life Saving Federation World Drowning Report 2007 Barbara Byers Drowning Report Committee Member IBWSS April 17, 2007

2007 ILS World Drowning Report Developing world – daily living activities. Developed world- recreational environment. This is the inaugural ILS Drowning Report. It reviews the data and information that is in existence. Things seem not to count unless they can be counted.

North American Context Second leading cause of preventable death for children. Data is collected and used to develop behavioural change prevention campaigns. And to measure the impact of our campaigns. Drownings have declined ….particularly with children..

Developed Countries Data collection in Canada, Australia, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand. With corresponding low drowning rates. Correlation between collecting, analyzing, developing and results.

Developing countries Not common in most developing countries in – Africa and Asia. No methodology or systems to count or measure No idea as to the scope of the problem. Minimal prevention programs.

2007 World Drowning Report Provides insight from the best available information sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO). Plus summary data from ILS member countries.

International Life Saving Federation (ILS) Global non-profit federation of over 100 national lifesaving organizations world-wide. In the USA, represented by the United States Lifesaving Association. In Canada, by the Lifesaving Society. Established a Drowning Report committee.

Population Predictions Drowning is a serious threat to world health. United Nations predicts the magnitude of the drowning problem is going to get worse. By 2050 Africa and Asia will be home to more than 80% of the population. China and India will shelter 1/3 of the world population.

World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Organization (WHO) – most comprehensive international level data collection. WHO 2002 Fact sheet on drowning estimated that 382,312 people drowned. Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury.

World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges that problem is even greater Data does not include cataclysms (floods), transport accidents, assaults and suicide were excluded. 97% of unintentional deaths occurred in low and middle-income countries.

Drowning is a Global Problem We need to get a handle on the scope of the problem to develop prevention programs. The quality of prevention action seems impossible to determine unless it can be measured and evaluated. ILS will take a leadership role

Immigration Trends From developing to developed countries. In their countries learning to swim and water safety is not part of their culture. They bring this experience with them.

Drowning Risk and Prevention in Minority Communities Presentation by Dr. Linda Quan and Tizzie Bennett from the Seattle Children’s Hospital. Children’s drowning data by ethnicity was collected and analyzed. Identified the Vietnamese community as the highest risk group and developed intervention programs.

Bangladesh 150 million people. One of the most densely populated countries. Land is smaller than Iowa. Southern Asia – bordered by India, Burma and the Bay of Bengal.

Bangladesh Delta formed from three rivers. 1/3 of the country is flooded. Water exposure is a daily fact of life. In the past, the scope of the non-disease death rate was unknown.

Bangladesh Research Initiative Shift from cause of death attributable to disease to injury cause. Of all type of injuries, drowning was the most difficult to classify. Limited reporting of death. Multi-agency collaborative study.

Research Cluster sampling approach. Learned that drowning is the single largest cause of death for children. 17,000 children under 17 drown every year! While walking to school, playing outside. Flooding problem!

Some Facts About 70% occurred in ditches and ponds. 85% of infants and children drowned in water within 20 feet of the house. Daylight hours. Most often the mother or supervisor was distracted.

Intervention strategies For children under 5 years, focus was improved supervision by the mother combined with barriers. Establlshed community crèches. Taught basic survival swimming skills to children > 5 years.

Dramatic Results! Tested in regions and compared versus a control group. In the cell with the crèche program there were no drownings. Among 6,000 children who graduated from the swimming program, no child drowned.

Lessons Learned With data you can learn about the scope of the problem. We can share our experiences with other countries. We can learn about the impact of our programs from them.

Thank you! Barbara Byers World Drowning Report