Epidemiology
In 2019 alone, roughly 236,000 people died from drowning, thereby causing it to be the third leading cause of unintentional death globally trailing only traffic injuries and falls.In many countries, drowning is one of the main causes of preventable death for children under 12 years old. In the United States in 2006, 1100 people under 20 years of age died from drowning. The United Kingdom has 450 drownings per year, or 1 per 150,000, whereas in the United States, there are about 6,500 drownings yearly, around 1 per 50,000. In Asia suffocation and drowning were the leading causes of preventable death for children under five years of age; a 2008 report by UNICEF found that in Bangladesh, for instance, 46 children drown each day.Due to a generally increased likelihood for risk-taking, males are four times more likely to have submersion injuries.In the fishing industry, the largest group of drownings is associated with vessel disasters in bad weather, followed by man-overboard incidents and boarding accidents at night, either in foreign ports or under the influence of alcohol. Scuba diving deaths are estimated at 700 to 800 per year, associated with inadequate training and experience, exhaustion, panic, carelessness and barotrauma. South Asia
Deaths due to drowning is high in the South Asian region with India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh accounting for up to 52% of the global deaths.
The optimal age to start the lessons is childhood, between one and four years of age. Feeling overly tired reduces swimming performance. This exhaustion can be rapidly aggravated by anxious movements motivated by fear during or in anticipation of drowning. An overconfident appraisal of ones own physical capabilities can lead to "swimming out too far" and exhaustion before returning to solid footing. Free access to water can be hazardous, especially to young children. Barriers can prevent young children from gaining access to the water. Ineffective supervision. Drowning can occur anywhere there is water, even in the presence of lifeguards. Risk can vary with location depending on age. Children between one and four more commonly drown in home swimming pools than elsewhere. Drownings in natural water settings increase with age. More than half of drownings occur among those fifteen years and older and occurred in natural water environments. Familial or genetic history of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or sudden cardiac death (SCD) can predispose children to drown. Extensive genetic testing and/or consultation with a cardiologist should be done especially when there is a high suspicion of familial history and/or clinical evidence of sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death. Individuals with undetected primary cardiac arrhythmias, as cold water immersion or aquatic exercise can induce these arrhythmias to occur.Population groups at risk in the US are generally the old and young. Youth: drowning rates are highest for children under five years of age and people fifteen to twenty-four years of age.