A South African Epidemiological Study of Fatal Drownings: 2016–2021

Jill Fortuin (), Innocent Karangwa, Nongcebo Mahlalela and Cleeve Robertson
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Jill Fortuin: National Sea Rescue Institute, Cape Town 7441, South Africa
Innocent Karangwa: Department of Statistical Science, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
Nongcebo Mahlalela: National Sea Rescue Institute, Cape Town 7441, South Africa
Cleeve Robertson: National Sea Rescue Institute, Cape Town 7441, South Africa

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-10

Abstract: Drowning is a serious public health concern. Low-and-middle-income countries are the most affected by drowning, as they carry 90% of the global drowning burden. The purpose of this retrospective epidemiological study is to provide an overview of fatal drownings in South Africa between 2016 and 2021. The data used for the study were obtained from the South African Police Service. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Statistical analyses included a t-test and chi-square test. The results indicate that the average number of fatal drownings per annum is 1477 in South Africa, with an average drowning rate of 2.54 per 100,000 population for the period 2016 to 2021. The KwaZulu-Natal province had the highest incidence of drowning. The 0–4-year-age group has the highest prevalence of drowning among all the age categories. More males drowned in South Africa compared to females.

Keywords: drowning; epidemiology; low and middle income; South Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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