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July 15, 1988, Vol 260, No. 3 >
ARTICLE | July 15, 1988

Drowning Mortality in Los Angeles County, 1976 to 1984 FREE

Patrick W. O'Carroll, MD, MPH; Ellen Alkon, MD, MPH; Billie Weiss, MPH
[+] Author Affiliations

Reprint requests to Centers for Disease Control, Koger Center, Mailstop F-36,1600 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30333 (Dr O'Carroll).


JAMA. 1988;260(3):380-383. doi:10.1001/jama.1988.03410030096037
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References

Drowning is the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury death in Los Angeles County. We examined data collected by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office on drownings that occurred in the county from 1976 through 1984. There were 1587 drownings (1130 males and 457 females) during this nine-year period, for an annual rate of 2.36 drownings per 100 000 persons (3.44 for males and 1.33 for females). The largest proportion of drownings (44.5%) for both sexes, and in almost every age group, occurred in private swimming pools. Children 2 to 3 years of age had the highest swimming-pool drowning rate (7.95). The elderly also experienced high drowning rates, primarily in swimming pools and bathtubs. Drowning-site profiles varied dramatically by age and sex. These findings indicate a need for Los Angeles County to address the problem of drownings among infants and toddlers in private swimming pools and to investigate the failure of regulations requiring fencing of swimming pools to prevent these deaths. These findings also suggest several potential opportunities for preventive intervention by physicians and demonstrate that health professionals cannot rely on national drowning-site profiles when developing local drowning prevention strategies.

(JAMA 1988;260:380-383)

REFERENCES

1 +
Accident Facts . Chicago, National Safety Council, 1986;.
2 +
Health in Los Angeles County: A Report on Selected Health Status Indicators . Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services Public Health Programs, 1984;.
3 +
 Aquatic deaths and injuries—United States . MMWR 1982;;31:417-419.
4 +
 Drownings—Georgia, 1981-1983 . MMWR 1985;;34:281-283.
5 +
Dietz PE, Baker SP:  Drowning epidemiology and prevention . Am J Public Health 1974;;64:303-312.
6 +
Pearn JH, Wong RYK, Brown J, et al:  Drowning and near-drowning involving children: A fiveyear total population study from the city and county of Honolulu . Am J Public Health 1979;;69:450-454.
7 +
Rowe MI, Arango A, Allington G:  Profile of pediatric drowning victims in a water-oriented society . J Trauma 1977;;17:587-591.
8 +
Fandel I, Bancalari E:  Near-drowning in children: Clinical aspects . Pediatrics 1976;;58:573-579.
9 +
Peterson B:  Morbidity of childhood near-drowning . Pediatrics 1977;;59:364-370.
10 +
Webster DP:  Pool drownings and their prevention . Public Health Rep 1967;;82:587-600.
11 +
Davis S, Ledman J, Kilgore J:  Drownings of children and youth in a desert state . West J Med 1985;;143:196-201.
12 +
Pearn J, Nixon J, Wilkey I:  Freshwater drowning and near-drowning accidents involving children: A five-year total population study . Med J Aust 1976;;2:942-946.
13 +
Pearn JH, Nixon J:  Swimming pool immersion accidents: An analysis from the Brisbane drowning study . Med J Aust 1977;;1:432-437.
14 +
Pearn J, Brown J, Hsia EY:  Swimming pool drownings and near-drownings involving children: A total population study from Hawaii . Milit Med 1980;;145:15-18.
15 +
Milliner N, Pearn J, Guard R:  Will fenced pools save lives? Med J Aust 1980;;2:510-511.
16 +
Barry W, Little TM:  Childhood drownings in private swimming pools: An avoidable cause of death . Br Med J J1982 ;285:542-543.
17 +
Rivara FP:  Traumatic deaths of children in the United States: Currently available prevention strategies . Pediatrics 1985;;75:456-462.
18 +
Spyker DA:  Submersion injury: Epidemiology, prevention and management . Pediatr Clin North Am 1985;;32:113-125.
19 +
General Hazards Ordinance No. 5307 , article 5, effective (Oct 13) , 1967;. Los Angeles, Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles, 1975.
20 +
Pearn J, Nixon J:  Prevention of childhood drowning accidents . Med J Aust 1977;;1:616-618.
21 +
Pearn JH, Brown J, Wong R, et al:  Bathtub drownings: A report of seven cases . Pediatrics 1979;;64:68-70.
22 +
The Injury Prevention Program (TIPP) . Elk Grove Village, Ill, American Academy of Pediatrics, 1988;.
23 +
Monroe B:  Immersion accidents in hot tubs and whirlpool spas . Pediatrics 1982;;69:805-807.
24 +
Tron VA, Baldwin VJ, Pirie GE:  Hot tub drownings . Pediatrics 1985;;75:789-790.
25 +
Walker S, Middlecamp JN:  Pail immersion accidents . Clin Pediatr 1981;;20:341-343.

Figures

Tables

Interactive Graphics

Video

Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal

1 +
Accident Facts . Chicago, National Safety Council, 1986;.
2 +
Health in Los Angeles County: A Report on Selected Health Status Indicators . Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services Public Health Programs, 1984;.
3 +
 Aquatic deaths and injuries—United States . MMWR 1982;;31:417-419.
4 +
 Drownings—Georgia, 1981-1983 . MMWR 1985;;34:281-283.
5 +
Dietz PE, Baker SP:  Drowning epidemiology and prevention . Am J Public Health 1974;;64:303-312.
6 +
Pearn JH, Wong RYK, Brown J, et al:  Drowning and near-drowning involving children: A fiveyear total population study from the city and county of Honolulu . Am J Public Health 1979;;69:450-454.
7 +
Rowe MI, Arango A, Allington G:  Profile of pediatric drowning victims in a water-oriented society . J Trauma 1977;;17:587-591.
8 +
Fandel I, Bancalari E:  Near-drowning in children: Clinical aspects . Pediatrics 1976;;58:573-579.
9 +
Peterson B:  Morbidity of childhood near-drowning . Pediatrics 1977;;59:364-370.
10 +
Webster DP:  Pool drownings and their prevention . Public Health Rep 1967;;82:587-600.
11 +
Davis S, Ledman J, Kilgore J:  Drownings of children and youth in a desert state . West J Med 1985;;143:196-201.
12 +
Pearn J, Nixon J, Wilkey I:  Freshwater drowning and near-drowning accidents involving children: A five-year total population study . Med J Aust 1976;;2:942-946.
13 +
Pearn JH, Nixon J:  Swimming pool immersion accidents: An analysis from the Brisbane drowning study . Med J Aust 1977;;1:432-437.
14 +
Pearn J, Brown J, Hsia EY:  Swimming pool drownings and near-drownings involving children: A total population study from Hawaii . Milit Med 1980;;145:15-18.
15 +
Milliner N, Pearn J, Guard R:  Will fenced pools save lives? Med J Aust 1980;;2:510-511.
16 +
Barry W, Little TM:  Childhood drownings in private swimming pools: An avoidable cause of death . Br Med J J1982 ;285:542-543.
17 +
Rivara FP:  Traumatic deaths of children in the United States: Currently available prevention strategies . Pediatrics 1985;;75:456-462.
18 +
Spyker DA:  Submersion injury: Epidemiology, prevention and management . Pediatr Clin North Am 1985;;32:113-125.
19 +
General Hazards Ordinance No. 5307 , article 5, effective (Oct 13) , 1967;. Los Angeles, Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles, 1975.
20 +
Pearn J, Nixon J:  Prevention of childhood drowning accidents . Med J Aust 1977;;1:616-618.
21 +
Pearn JH, Brown J, Wong R, et al:  Bathtub drownings: A report of seven cases . Pediatrics 1979;;64:68-70.
22 +
The Injury Prevention Program (TIPP) . Elk Grove Village, Ill, American Academy of Pediatrics, 1988;.
23 +
Monroe B:  Immersion accidents in hot tubs and whirlpool spas . Pediatrics 1982;;69:805-807.
24 +
Tron VA, Baldwin VJ, Pirie GE:  Hot tub drownings . Pediatrics 1985;;75:789-790.
25 +
Walker S, Middlecamp JN:  Pail immersion accidents . Clin Pediatr 1981;;20:341-343.

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