A population-based study on deaths by drowning incidents in Turkey

The aim of this study is to find the numbers of deaths by drowning incidents by using online search engines and online newspaper reports for all age groups covering five years (2007-2011) in Turkey, in order to conduct a population-based study for the first time in Turkey and to identify the risk factors associated with deaths from drowning. This is a web-based, descriptive, retrospective study on the deaths caused by unintentional drowning incidents. In the period of the study, 3216 persons died from drowning in Turkey; 84.0% (2703 persons) were males, and 16.0% (513 persons) were females. Death rates from drowning in overall years were 0.89; 1.44 for males, and 0.28 for females per 100,000. For persons aged between 10-19 years, the death rate was the highest with 1.76 deaths per 100,000 people. The drowning rate in provinces and districts (1.01 per 100,000) was almost twice than that in towns and villages (0.53 per 100,000) and 75.7% of all deaths were in natural water environments such as fresh/still water, and the sea. As the first population-based study on drowning, this study presents vital information to build preventative strategies and policies against drowning incidents, which threaten public health in Turkey.