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Published on: November 10, 2023
Changes in drowning mortality rates and quality of reporting from 2004-2005 to 2014-2015: a comparative study of 61
Ching-Yi Lin1, Liang-Yi Wang2, Tsung-Hsueh Lu3
1Institute of Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Background:
This study assessed international variations in changes in drowning mortality rates and the quality of reporting specific information in death certificates over the past decade.
Methods:
Drowning mortality data of 61 countries were extracted from the World Health Organization Mortality Database. We calculated the percentage change (PC) in age-standardized drowning mortality rates and percentage of drowning deaths reported with unspecified codes between 2004 and 2005 and 2014-2015.
Results:
Of the 61 countries studied, 50 exhibited a reduction in drowning mortality rates from 2004 to 2005 to 2014-2015. Additionally, five countries-Lithuania, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, and El Salvador-with a high mortality rate in 2004-2005 (> 40 deaths per 100,000) showed improvement (PC < - 32%). By contrast, four countries-South Africa, Guyana, Morocco, and Guatemala-exhibited a more than twofold increase in mortality rates. Regarding the quality of reporting, 34 countries exhibited a decrease in the percentage of unspecified codes. Additionally, three countries-Paraguay, Serbia, and Croatia-with moderate and high percentages of unspecified codes (> 40%) exhibited a marked reduction (PC < - 60%), whereas three countries-Malaysia, Belgium, and Nicaragua-exhibited a notable increase.
Conclusions:
Large international variations in the extent of changes in drowning mortality rates and the quality of reporting specific information on the death certificate were observed during the study period.
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