Table 1. Drowning deaths in rivers by sex, age group, state or territory of incident, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status and remoteness classification of incident location, crude drowning rate per 100,000 population and relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), Australia, 2002/03 to 2011/12 (N = 770).
| Total | Crude rate / 100,000 population | Relative Risk (RR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) comparing drowning deaths in rivers to the relevant population | Χ2 (p value) a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 770 | 0.36 | ||
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 619 | 0.59 | 4.15 (3.47–4.95) | 284.4 (p<0.001) |
| Female | 151 | 0.14 | 1 b | |
| Age Group | ||||
| 0–4 years | 32 | 0.23 | 1 | 56.6 (p<0.001) |
| 5–9 years | 26 | 0.19 | 0.82 (0.49–1.38) | |
| 10–14 years | 28 | 0.20 | 0.86 (0.52–1.43) | |
| 15–17 years | 27 | 0.32 | 1.37 (0.82–2.28) | |
| 18–24 years | 91 | 0.44 | 1.87 (1.25–2.79) | |
| 25–34 years | 110 | 0.37 | 1.57 (1.06–2.33) | |
| 35–44 years | 106 | 0.34 | 1.47 (0.99–2.19) | |
| 45–54 years | 105 | 0.36 | 1.55 (1.04–2.30) | |
| 55–64 years | 103 | 0.44 | 1.89 (1.27–2.81) | |
| 65–74 years | 64 | 0.43 | 1.82 (1.19–2.78) | |
| 75+ years | 78 | 0.60 | 2.55 (1.69–3.85) | |
| State or Territory of Incident Location | ||||
| Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | 5 | 0.14 | 1 | 260.6 (p<0.001) |
| New South Wales (NSW) | 268 | 0.39 | 2.69 (1.11–6.52) | |
| Northern Territory (NT) | 43 | 1.98 | 13.73 (5.44–34.66) | |
| Queensland (QLD) | 217 | 0.52 | 3.62 (1.49–8.79) | |
| South Australia (SA) | 34 | 0.21 | 1.49 (0.58–3.81) | |
| Tasmania (TAS) | 35 | 0.70 | 4.90 (1.92–12.50) | |
| Victoria (VIC) | 107 | 0.20 | 1.42 (0.58–3.49) | |
| Western Australia (WA) | 61 | 0.28 | 1.96 (0.79–4.88) | |
| Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Status c | ||||
| Yes | 82 | 1.32 | 3.93 (3.12–4.94) | 164.2 (p<0.001) |
| No | 688 | 0.34 | 1 | |
| Remoteness Classification of Incident Location d | ||||
| Major Cities | 217 | 0.16 | 1 | 1333.4 (p<0.001) |
| Inner Regional | 226 | 0.58 | 3.62 (2.58–5.09) | |
| Outer Regional | 196 | 1.01 | 6.37 (4.47–9.06) | |
| Remote | 49 | 1.58 | 9.95 (5.65–17.53) | |
| Very Remote | 82 | 4.57 | 28.76 (18.08–45.73) | |
a A modified Bonferroni test has been applied meaning statistical significance is deemed at p<0.03.
b Where relative risk (RR) was calculated, the group with the lowest rate was used as the reference point.
c Where Indigenous status was unknown, this was assumed to be ‘no’ for the purposes of analysis.
d Population data is only available for three population census years (2001, 2006 and 2011), therefore a 12 year average for deaths and a three year average for population have been used to calculate crude rates.