Epidemiology of Drowning in Tehran

Drowning must be recognized as a major global public health problem with significant opportunities for prevention. In Order to examine the incidence and characteristics of drowning, we analyzed data from the Legal Medicine Organization of Tehran through a cross sectional study from 2002 to 2006. During five years, a total of 292 cases (241 male & 51 femal) suffered fatal drowning in Tehran. Mean age was 21.7±15.7 years and M/F ratio was 4.7:1. The most common age groups of drowned victims were 0-4, 15-24 and 5-14 years (1.5, 1.2 and 1.1 per 100 000 population/year, respectively). Children under the age of 15 years comprised 32.2% of all drowning deaths. Canals and public natatoriums were the locations with the highest number of drowned victims (24.7% and 21.2% respectively). Overall 85.3% of all drowning deaths were occurred in summer and spring. 87% of victims were dead at the places of drowning (p≤0.01). There was correlation between decedents’ motives with their age, sex and education (p≤0.01). Also there was correlation between manner of death with age, sex, educational state and marriage status (p≤0.05). The manner of death was found as following: 88.0% accidental, 5.5% suicidal, 1.4% homicidal and 5.1% undetermined. Tehran has a mean drowning rate 0.7 per 100 000 population/year which is not a high rate in the drowning related mortality. Yet drowning is a public health problem which involves young population. Prevention of drowning in Tehran, like other parts of our country, requires programming and policies that address known risk factors