Who are the Older Adults Who Drown in Western Australia? A Cluster Analysis Using Coronial Drowning Data.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education Volume 13 Number 1 Article 7 12-15-2020 Who are the Older Adults Who Drown in Western Australia? A Cluster Analysis Using Coronial Drowning Data. Meg Abercromby Curtin University, Dr Justine E. Leavy Curtin University, Lauren Nimmo Royal Life Saving WA, Dr Gemma Crawford Curtin University, Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ijare Part of the Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Health and Physical Education Commons, Leisure Studies Commons, Other Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, Other Public Health Commons, Outdoor Education Commons, and the Tourism and Travel Commons Recommended Citation Abercromby, Meg; Leavy, Dr Justine E.; Nimmo, Lauren; and Crawford, Dr Gemma (2020) "Who are the Older Adults Who Drown in Western Australia? A Cluster Analysis Using Coronial Drowning Data.," International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education: Vol. 13 : No. 1 , Article 7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25035/ijare.13.01.07 Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ijare/vol13/iss1/7 This Research Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@BGSU. Who are the Older Adults Who Drown in Western Australia? A Cluster Analysis Using Coronial Drowning Data. Cover Page Footnote We would like to acknowledge those listed in the coronial dataset; and pay our respects to their loved ones, families and friends. We would also like to acknowledge the Royal Life Saving Society of Western Australia for their contributions. Declaration of Conflicting Interests The authors declared no potential conflicts of interests with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article. This research article is available in International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ijare/vol13/iss1/7 Abercromby et al.: Older Adult Drowning in Western Australia Abstract Drowning amongst older people is a growing concern. Exploring demographic and other factors associated with unintentional drowning incidents amongst older adults may assist to identify key target groups and refine prevention strategies. This study sought to examine the heterogeneity of older individuals who have drowned and identify population subgroups in Western Australia (WA). A cluster analysis was used to segment the population by examining coronial data 2001-2018 (n = 93). Analysis identified four groups; 1) ‘men who boat & fish in company’ 2) ‘affluent men with poor health’ 3) ‘non-drinkers who boat and fish’, and 4) ‘older men, who slipped or fell’. Males aged 65-74 years were particularly at-risk while participating in various aquatic activities such as boating, fishing (incl. rock-fishing) and swimming/recreating. This study provided insights into an underserved area and will directly inform the development of new strategies for this target group in WA. Keywords: drowning prevention, water safety, cluster analysis, coronial data, public health, older adults. Introduction Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death worldwide (World Health Organization [WHO], 2017). In Australia, as in a number of other highincome countries (Armstrong & Erskine, 2018; Lin et al., 2015; Mahony et al., 2017), drowning amongst older people is an ongoing problem and the rate of drowning among older people is likely to rise as Australia’s ageing population increases (Peden et al., 2018). Between 2017/18 and 2018/19 drowning in older Australians increased from 51 fatalities to 60 fatalities respectively, an 18% increase (Royal Life Saving Society - Australia [RLSSA], 2019a). In countries such as Australia, aquatic activities are common amongst older people for recreation and physical activity (Mahony et al., 2017; RLSSA, 2019a). For example, swimming is the fourth most common form of sport and/or physical recreation in people aged 65 years and over (Mahony et al., 2017) and recreational fishing, diving, surf sports and boating are identified among the top 20 physical recreation activities in Western Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2012). Noteworthy, an increased exposure to risk is reflected in a greater level of participation in aquatic activities such as swimming, fishing, surfing, boating, and canoeing/kayaking (Leavy et al., 2015), along with seeking a “sea-change”, where moving closer to coastal locations during retirement is common (Peden et al., 2018). Despite the benefits of aquatic activity to enhance the quality of life of older people, little is known about factors relating to drowning prevention and water safety for this age group (Mahony et al., 2017; Peden et al., 2018). Historically, the focus of international drowning literature has been on drowning in children aged under 5 years (Leavy et al., 2015; Peden et al., 2018). There is a dearth of drowning prevention literature specific to older adults. While the literature Published by ScholarWorks@BGSU, 2020 1 International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, Vol. 13, No. 1 [2020], Art. 7 provides some insights into the epidemiology and risks for older people (Peden et al., 2018), gaps in the knowledge remain (Mahony et al., 2017). Franklin, Scarr and Pearn (2010) highlight overestimation of ability and reliance on skills gained earlier in life, reduced fitness and physical limitations brought on by age and medical conditions as risk factors contributing to drownings amongst older people. Despite this, a more in-depth demographic profile is needed to determine how and why older adults drown and appropriately target at-risk individuals in this age group. This study sought to examine the heterogeneity of risk and/or protective factors amongst older adults who have drowned in one Australian jurisdiction and identify population subgroups. The consensus for ‘older adults’ differs per country, with definitions ranging between 45-75 years (Peden et al., 2018). Throughout this study, ‘older adults’ is used to describe people 65 years and older, as defined in the National Australian Water Safety Strategy 2016-2020. Findings will have direct impact on the development of health promotion strategies and interventions to prevent older adults drowning. Method Cases and Procedures Coronial data were obtained using the National Coronial Information System (NCIS). Ethical approval was obtained from the University Human Research Ethics Committee (HRE2019-0347) and the Justice Human Research Ethics Committee (CF/16/17315). All coronial data were de-identified. The data consisted of the 95 fatal drowning cases recorded between the period, July 2001–June 2018. Each case contained a coroner’s investigation and pathology report. Additional information, such as swimming ability and supervision status, was extracted from witness statements and poli (...truncated)