Drowning In Children Research Paper

Drowning Of Children 0 – 5 Years Of Age: Preventable Or Inevitable?

Injury is a significant cause of illness, hospitalisation, disability and death in Australian children and adolescents. This research based report by first year nursing student, Karla McCulloch, aims to promote awareness and educate nursing students and colleagues, as well as the general public and parents, on unintentional injury. In particular, it will focus on drowning in children from birth to 5 years of age. The report will discuss the definition of what constitutes a drowning, look at patterns of drowning, facts and statistics on drowning and the main factors that contribute to drowning in children. It will also look at what action can be implemented to minimise the
(World Health Organisation 2000)
An international comparison of drowning rates indicates that Australia has the second worst record in the world for toddler drowning. (Kidsafe WA 2005)

Drowning is the most common cause of accidental death in Australian children aged less than 5 years, and 70% are aged between 1 and 3 years. (Kidsafe SA 2004)
Studies show that for every child under the age of 5 years that drowns in Australia, up to 10 children are admitted to hospital as the result of a near-drowning incident. The near drowning- of a child is “the result of a submersion, where the child has been immersed in water”. (Kidsafe SA 2004)

In Australia in 2007/2008, 27 drowning deaths were recorded in young children aged between 0-4 years of age. The majority of drowning deaths of children in this age group was the consequence of falling or wandering into the water, with the swimming pool accounting for the largest portion of these deaths. (Royal Life Saving Society Australia
This legislation is enforced by Standards Australia. (Kidsafe SA 2004)
This standard identifies the mandatory isolation fencing and “specifies requirements for the design, construction and performance of fences, gates, retaining walls, windows, door sets and balconies intended to form part of a barrier that will restrict the access of young children to swimming pool.” (Standards Australia International 1993)
A dramatic drop in drowning incidents has been recorded since the introduction of this legislation. (Kidsafe SA 2004)

Communities have also adopted other strategies to help minimise the risk of childhood drowning. Such strategies include the promotion and availability of educational tools such as books/booklets, brochures, posters and videos. Media campaigns have also been adopted to assist in providing community awareness and education on the issue of drowning. Numerous organisations also conduct various resuscitation classes for parents and carers. (Royal Life Saving Society Australia