Table 3.
Number, rate and relative risk of socio-demographic characteristics of drowning deaths by category, Australia, 2006–2014
| Intentional drowning | Unintentional drowning | Intentional drowning versus unintentional drowning | Water-transport related | Undetermined intent | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total cases (N = 450) | Annual mortality rate per 100,000 | Relative Risk (CI) | Total cases (N = 1765) | Annual mortality rate per 100,000 | Relative Risk (CI) | χ2 (p-value) | Total cases (N = 342) | Annual mortality rate per 100,000 | Relative Risk (CI) | Total cases (N = 173) | Annual mortality rate per 100,000 | Relative Risk (CI) | |
| Sex | |||||||||||||
| Male | 278 | 0.28 | 1.6 (1.4–2.0) | 1370 | 1.39 | 3.5 (3.1–3.9) | 47.3 (p < 0.001)a | 290 | 0.29 | 5.6 (4.2–7.6) | 125 | 0.13 | 2.6 (1.9–3.7) |
| Female | 172 | 0.17 | 1* | 395 | 0.40 | 1* | 52 | 0.05 | 1* | 48 | 0.05 | 1* | |
| Age Group | |||||||||||||
| 0–4 years | 6 | 0.02 | 1* | 213 | 1.65 | 1* | 53.1 (p < 0.001)b | 9 | 0.07 | 1* | 5 | 0.02 | 1* |
| 5–14 years | 0.01 | 0.5 (0.1–2.6) | 88 | 0.35 | 0.2 (0.2–0.3) | 17.1 (p < 0.001)b | 15 | 0.06 | 0.9 (0.4–2.0) | 0.01 | 0.8 (0.1–4.7) | ||
| 15–24 years | 22 | 0.08 | 3.5 (1.0–11.6) | 203 | 0.75 | 0.5 (0.4–0.6) | 17.2 (p < 0.001)b | 49 | 0.18 | 2.6 (1.3–5.3) | 19 | 0.07 | 4.5 (1.1–19.3) |
| 25–34 years | 43 | 0.15 | 6.5 (2.0–21.0) | 265 | 0.93 | 0.6 (0.5–0.7) | 8.9 (p = 0.002)b | 55 | 0.19 | 2.8 (1.4–5.6) | 19 | 0.07 | 4.3 (1.0–18.6) |
| 35–44 years | 52 | 0.18 | 7.9 (2.5–25.4) | 205 | 0.73 | 0.4 (0.4–0.5) | 0.001 (p = 1.000) | 69 | 0.24 | 3.5 (1.8–7.0) | 26 | 0.09 | 6.0 (1.4–25.1) |
| 45–54 years | 86 | 0.32 | 13.8 (4.4–43.5) | 207 | 0.77 | 0.5 (0.4–0.6) | 17.0 (p < 0.001)b | 52 | 0.19 | 2.8 (1.4–5.6) | 28 | 0.10 | 6.7 (1.6–28.2) |
| 55–64 years | 81 | 0.36 | 15.6 (4.9–49.4) | 214 | 0.96 | 0.6 (0.5–0.7) | 10.7 (p = 0.001)b | 41 | 0.18 | 2.6 (1.3–5.4) | 30 | 0.13 | 8.7 (2.1–36.3) |
| 65–74 years | 66 | 0.45 | 19.3 (6.1–61.3) | 163 | 1.11 | 0.7 (0.6–0.8) | 11.4 (p = 0.001)b | 32 | 0.22 | 3.1 (1.5–6.5) | 21 | 0.14 | 9.2 (2.2–39.3) |
| 75 years and over | 94 | 0.76 | 32.6 (10.3–102.8) | 207 | 1.67 | 1.0 (0.8–1.2) | 25.6 (p < 0.001)b | 20 | 0.16 | 2.3 (1.1–5.1) | 25 | 0.20 | 13.0 (3.1–54.8) |
| State/territory of usual residence | |||||||||||||
| New South Wales | 131 | 0.20 | 1.7 (0.6–4.5) | 599 | 0.93 | 1.4 (0.9–2.1) | 3.8 (p = 0.056) | 76 | 0.12 | 1.3 (0.4–4.1) | 74 | 0.12 | 1.9 (0.5–7.7) |
| Victoria | 98 | 0.20 | 1.6 (0.6–4.4) | 265 | 0.54 | 0.8 (0.5–1.2) | 12.1 (p = 0.001)c | 27 | 0.05 | 0.6 (0.2–2.0) | 43 | 0.09 | 1.4 (0.4–5.9) |
| Queensland | 96 | 0.24 | 2.0 (0.7–5.4) | 432 | 1.09 | 1.6 (1.1–2.5) | 2.0 (p = 0.173) | 76 | 0.19 | 2.1 (0.7–6.6) | 20 | 0.05 | 0.8 (0.2–3.5) |
| South Australia | 27 | 0.18 | 1.5 (0.5–4.3) | 92 | 0.63 | 0.9 (0.6–1.5) | 0.4 (p = 0.484) | 18 | 0.12 | 1.3 (0.4–4.6) | 13 | 0.09 | 1.5 (0.3–6.4) |
| Western Australia | 66 | 0.32 | 2.6 (1.0–7.2) | 224 | 1.08 | 1.6 (1.0–2.5) | 1.2 (p = 0.273) | 110 | 0.53 | 5.8 (1.8–18.2) | 9 | 0.04 | 0.7 (0.2–3.3) |
| Tasmania | 24 | 0.53 | 4.3 (1.5–12.4) | 66 | 1.45 | 2.2 (1.3–3.5) | 2.3 (p = 0.140) | 25 | 0.55 | 6.0 (1.8–19.8) | 14 | 0.26 | 4.3 (1.0–19.2) |
| Northern Territory | 8 | 0.19 | 1.6 (0.4–6.4) | 64 | 3.12 | 4.6 (2.9–7.5) | 9.0 (p = 0.001)c | 10 | 0.34 | 3.7 (1.0–14.3) | 0.00 | 0.0 (UTBC) | |
| Australian Capital Territory | 0.18 | 1* | 22 | 0.67 | 1* | 0.4 (p = 0.632) | 0.09 | 1* | 0.06 | 1* | |||
| Remoteness of usual residence | |||||||||||||
| Major Cities | 314 | 0.23 | 4.0 (0.6–28.6) | 971 | 0.70 | 0.3 (0.2–0.4) | 32.1 (p < 0.001)e | 122 | 0.09 | 0.2 (0.1–0.3) | 97 | 0.07 | 0.6 (0.2–2.5) |
| Inner Regional | 86 | 0.24 | 4.2 (0.6–30.0) | 338 | 0.93 | 0.4 (0.3–0.6) | 0.0 (p = 1.000) | 63 | 0.17 | 0.3 (0.2–0.7) | 39 | 0.11 | 0.9 (0.2–3.9) |
| Outer Regional | 45 | 0.23 | 4.1 (0.6–29.9) | 229 | 1.27 | 0.6 (0.4–0.8) | 4.4 (p = 0.036) | 49 | 0.27 | 0.5 (0.3–1.1) | 29 | 0.14 | 1.2 (0.3–5.2) |
| Remote | 0.07 | 1.3 (0.1–14.0) | 45 | 1.60 | 0.7 (0.5–1.1) | 7.7 (p = 0.003)e | 13 | 0.46 | 0.9 (0.4–2.1) | 0.07 | 0.6 (0.1–4.5) | ||
| Very Remote | 0.06 | 1* | 40 | 2.26 | 1* | 8.2 (p = 0.001)e | 9 | 0.51 | 1* | 0.11 | 1* | ||
| Indigenous identification | |||||||||||||
| First Peoples of Australia | NS | 0.06 | 1* | 97 | 1.96 | 1* | 19.398 (p < 0.001) a | 11 | 0.22 | 1* | 7 | 0.14 | 1* |
| Non-Indigenous | 439 | 0.25 | 4.1 (1.3–12.7) | 1629 | 0.91 | 0.5 (0.4–0.6) | 289 | 0.16 | 0.7 (0.4–1.3) | 163 | 0.09 | 0.7 (0.3–1.4) | |
Data Source: ABS Cause of Death Unit Record File 2006–2014
NS = Not Shown* Where RR was calculated, the group with the lowest rate (except for age groups, where the second lowest rate was used) for intentional drowning deaths was used as the reference point
aStatistically significant (p < 0.05)
bA modified Bonferroni test has been applied, and statistical significance is deemed at p < 0.0056
cA modified Bonferroni test has been applied, and statistical significance is deemed at p < 0.0063
dA modified Bonferroni test has been applied, and statistical significance is deemed at p < 0.0063
eA modified Bonferroni test has been applied, and statistical significance is deemed at p < 0.0100