Drowning rates fall but migrant risks remain high
Analysis of unintentional drowning deaths between 2002 and 2022 shows a 60 per cent decrease in drowning deaths among children under the age of four, and a 24 per cent decline over the past 20 years overall.
Every age group had lower deaths except between 15 and 17, according to data published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health on Tuesday.
The findings reflect "great progress" in public health education and water safety, study co-author and Royal Life Saving Australia national manager of research and policy Stacey Pidgeon told AAP.
But the work is far from over, she cautioned.
Data from after the study's period shows a slight increase in drowning deaths over the past three years, with more people moving away from patrolled beaches to unsupervised inland locations.
"We're starting to see more people get into difficulty that may not have the skills and ability to keep themselves safe," Ms Pidgeon said.
Meanwhile, rivers and creeks were identified as leading locations for drowning, representing 26.3 per cent of fatal cases in the study.
Concern is also growing about water safety in regional and multicultural communities, where awareness and experience around water is limited.
In January 2024, Victoria witnessed its worst beach tragedy in nearly two decades when four international visitors drowned after being caught in a rip current.
They were visiting Phillip Island for a family day trip and were part of a group of nine with relatives from India.
"Multicultural communities are one key area of the water safety strategy. There's been a very concerted effort in terms of strategies across the country," Ms Pidgeon said.
"We know that adults from some countries may have never had the opportunity to learn swimming and water safety skills."
The data also highlighted that males were nearly four times as likely as females to drown, with alcohol consumption remaining a major factor, presenting in 23.9 per cent of drowning deaths.
"Alcohol and swimming don't go well together in all bodies of water," Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin told AAP.
"More effort is necessary to focus on blokes on alcohol, and those teenage high-risk groups."
The study comes as researchers and advocates work to meet the Australian Water Safety Strategy goal of halving drowning deaths by 2030.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Reforms of care services needed, commission recommends
Australia's care system could see sweeping reforms that includes a national screening system for care workers, greater collaboration between health services and a major shift towards preventive health investment. The Productivity Commission released its fifth and final interim report on Wednesday, noting an overhaul of the care sector is needed to boost the country's productivity. Commissioner Alison Roberts said care is a rapidly growing sector and proposed reforms will seek to break through government's siloed approach to decision-making. The interim report urges the government to better align quality and safety regulations across the care economy, by reducing the risk of unsafe providers and workers. This includes a streamlined national screen clearance for workers in aged care, NDIS, veterans' care and early childhood education and care sectors. It would make it easier for workers to move between care sectors and cut down on paperwork from providers. "We don't have a joined up system, which means people can move from state to state or within the sector to another (workforce) and avoid detection," Dr Roberts said. "Greater oversight and joined up systems will reduce this risk of occurring." The interim report also recommends the establishment of a national framework to support investment in prevention. This would allow governments the ability to invest in programs that bring long-term benefits to patients and communities. Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin said the recommendation exposes a glaring flaw in the federal budget process which hampers investment in prevention. He said the current rules don't allow for forecasting or consideration of financial and productivity benefits beyond the four-year estimates period. "That means the long-term benefits that come from preventive health measures are excluded from influencing government decision making," he told AAP. "This is nuts." Professor Slevin said the report recognises the importance of preventative health, something that is a forgotten part of the health funding model. "Prevention has an enormous benefit and of course being able to live longer and healthier lives is really the key benefit," he said. "The PC provides that economic lens for us to think again about how we approach investment in making our health better rather than just fixing us when we're crook." The report also calls for integrated and tailored care through collaboration, which would see hospital and primary health networks work together with Aboriginal community controlled health organisations. This will improve the quality of care and promote local autonomy, which could reduce potentially preventable hospitalisations and other gaps in service provision. The commission estimates a 10 per cent drop in preventable hospitalisations through better collaboration could save $600 million annually. Business, union and civil society leaders will come together with experts and government representatives at a three-day economic reform roundtable, which begins on August 19.
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- The Advertiser
Body image concerns as teens seek health advice online
Teenagers risk being exposed to misinformation and harmful body image content as they turn to social media for health information. Research published by The Royal Children's Hospital on Wednesday found that while two-thirds of teens get health guidance from social media, more than a third wished their bodies were different after viewing content. Fitness and diet are among the most popular topics being accessed by teenagers on the platforms. Year 9 student Willow told AAP social media can be a harmful place as it applies pressure for young people to fit certain societal standards of beauty and body image. She said health and wellness treatments such sun tanning were widely discussed among friends at school and on social media, making them hard to avoid. "Recently I've seen (content) romanticising tan lines," she said. "It's probably not the best thing for young skin or those more prone to melanoma." The National Child Health Poll surveyed more than 1400 Australian parents, and one of their children aged between 12 and 17 years old. It found that many teens make health decisions based on social media content, with more than a third having tried or considered something new after seeing it online. Willow said she had seen peers trying trends like switching to retinol in their skincare routines, which isn't recommended for young people. Almost all young people aged 12 to 17 years use social media, with three quarters reporting it hard to know what is true and untrue. Pediatrician and director of the National Child Health Poll Anthea Rhodes said it was critical teens questioned what they saw online and learned how to find trustworthy health information. "They're being presented with huge amount of content that's often quite persuasive. It may be emotive and engaging and offers solutions or advice to common challenges that we know teenagers face," she told AAP. "This really leaves them quite vulnerable to being misled." From December, people under 16 will no longer be able to create accounts on social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook ,TikTok and YouTube. The study found that 86 per cent of teens and parents interviewed believed children under 16 years will still find ways to access social media once the regulation is introduced. 'Young people are still faced with a huge amount of information to navigate once they do hit 16 and can legally enter that social media space," Dr Rhodes said. Lifeline 13 11 14 Butterfly Foundation 1800 334 673 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) Teenagers risk being exposed to misinformation and harmful body image content as they turn to social media for health information. Research published by The Royal Children's Hospital on Wednesday found that while two-thirds of teens get health guidance from social media, more than a third wished their bodies were different after viewing content. Fitness and diet are among the most popular topics being accessed by teenagers on the platforms. Year 9 student Willow told AAP social media can be a harmful place as it applies pressure for young people to fit certain societal standards of beauty and body image. She said health and wellness treatments such sun tanning were widely discussed among friends at school and on social media, making them hard to avoid. "Recently I've seen (content) romanticising tan lines," she said. "It's probably not the best thing for young skin or those more prone to melanoma." The National Child Health Poll surveyed more than 1400 Australian parents, and one of their children aged between 12 and 17 years old. It found that many teens make health decisions based on social media content, with more than a third having tried or considered something new after seeing it online. Willow said she had seen peers trying trends like switching to retinol in their skincare routines, which isn't recommended for young people. Almost all young people aged 12 to 17 years use social media, with three quarters reporting it hard to know what is true and untrue. Pediatrician and director of the National Child Health Poll Anthea Rhodes said it was critical teens questioned what they saw online and learned how to find trustworthy health information. "They're being presented with huge amount of content that's often quite persuasive. It may be emotive and engaging and offers solutions or advice to common challenges that we know teenagers face," she told AAP. "This really leaves them quite vulnerable to being misled." From December, people under 16 will no longer be able to create accounts on social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook ,TikTok and YouTube. The study found that 86 per cent of teens and parents interviewed believed children under 16 years will still find ways to access social media once the regulation is introduced. 'Young people are still faced with a huge amount of information to navigate once they do hit 16 and can legally enter that social media space," Dr Rhodes said. Lifeline 13 11 14 Butterfly Foundation 1800 334 673 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) Teenagers risk being exposed to misinformation and harmful body image content as they turn to social media for health information. Research published by The Royal Children's Hospital on Wednesday found that while two-thirds of teens get health guidance from social media, more than a third wished their bodies were different after viewing content. Fitness and diet are among the most popular topics being accessed by teenagers on the platforms. Year 9 student Willow told AAP social media can be a harmful place as it applies pressure for young people to fit certain societal standards of beauty and body image. She said health and wellness treatments such sun tanning were widely discussed among friends at school and on social media, making them hard to avoid. "Recently I've seen (content) romanticising tan lines," she said. "It's probably not the best thing for young skin or those more prone to melanoma." The National Child Health Poll surveyed more than 1400 Australian parents, and one of their children aged between 12 and 17 years old. It found that many teens make health decisions based on social media content, with more than a third having tried or considered something new after seeing it online. Willow said she had seen peers trying trends like switching to retinol in their skincare routines, which isn't recommended for young people. Almost all young people aged 12 to 17 years use social media, with three quarters reporting it hard to know what is true and untrue. Pediatrician and director of the National Child Health Poll Anthea Rhodes said it was critical teens questioned what they saw online and learned how to find trustworthy health information. "They're being presented with huge amount of content that's often quite persuasive. It may be emotive and engaging and offers solutions or advice to common challenges that we know teenagers face," she told AAP. "This really leaves them quite vulnerable to being misled." From December, people under 16 will no longer be able to create accounts on social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook ,TikTok and YouTube. The study found that 86 per cent of teens and parents interviewed believed children under 16 years will still find ways to access social media once the regulation is introduced. 'Young people are still faced with a huge amount of information to navigate once they do hit 16 and can legally enter that social media space," Dr Rhodes said. Lifeline 13 11 14 Butterfly Foundation 1800 334 673 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) Teenagers risk being exposed to misinformation and harmful body image content as they turn to social media for health information. Research published by The Royal Children's Hospital on Wednesday found that while two-thirds of teens get health guidance from social media, more than a third wished their bodies were different after viewing content. Fitness and diet are among the most popular topics being accessed by teenagers on the platforms. Year 9 student Willow told AAP social media can be a harmful place as it applies pressure for young people to fit certain societal standards of beauty and body image. She said health and wellness treatments such sun tanning were widely discussed among friends at school and on social media, making them hard to avoid. "Recently I've seen (content) romanticising tan lines," she said. "It's probably not the best thing for young skin or those more prone to melanoma." The National Child Health Poll surveyed more than 1400 Australian parents, and one of their children aged between 12 and 17 years old. It found that many teens make health decisions based on social media content, with more than a third having tried or considered something new after seeing it online. Willow said she had seen peers trying trends like switching to retinol in their skincare routines, which isn't recommended for young people. Almost all young people aged 12 to 17 years use social media, with three quarters reporting it hard to know what is true and untrue. Pediatrician and director of the National Child Health Poll Anthea Rhodes said it was critical teens questioned what they saw online and learned how to find trustworthy health information. "They're being presented with huge amount of content that's often quite persuasive. It may be emotive and engaging and offers solutions or advice to common challenges that we know teenagers face," she told AAP. "This really leaves them quite vulnerable to being misled." From December, people under 16 will no longer be able to create accounts on social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook ,TikTok and YouTube. The study found that 86 per cent of teens and parents interviewed believed children under 16 years will still find ways to access social media once the regulation is introduced. 'Young people are still faced with a huge amount of information to navigate once they do hit 16 and can legally enter that social media space," Dr Rhodes said. Lifeline 13 11 14 Butterfly Foundation 1800 334 673 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Body image concerns as teens seek health advice online
Teenagers risk being exposed to misinformation and harmful body image content as they turn to social media for health information. Research published by The Royal Children's Hospital on Wednesday found that while two-thirds of teens get health guidance from social media, more than a third wished their bodies were different after viewing content. Fitness and diet are among the most popular topics being accessed by teenagers on the platforms. Year 9 student Willow told AAP social media can be a harmful place as it applies pressure for young people to fit certain societal standards of beauty and body image. She said health and wellness treatments such sun tanning were widely discussed among friends at school and on social media, making them hard to avoid. "Recently I've seen (content) romanticising tan lines," she said. "It's probably not the best thing for young skin or those more prone to melanoma." The National Child Health Poll surveyed more than 1400 Australian parents, and one of their children aged between 12 and 17 years old. It found that many teens make health decisions based on social media content, with more than a third having tried or considered something new after seeing it online. Willow said she had seen peers trying trends like switching to retinol in their skincare routines, which isn't recommended for young people. Almost all young people aged 12 to 17 years use social media, with three quarters reporting it hard to know what is true and untrue. Pediatrician and director of the National Child Health Poll Anthea Rhodes said it was critical teens questioned what they saw online and learned how to find trustworthy health information. "They're being presented with huge amount of content that's often quite persuasive. It may be emotive and engaging and offers solutions or advice to common challenges that we know teenagers face," she told AAP. "This really leaves them quite vulnerable to being misled." From December, people under 16 will no longer be able to create accounts on social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook ,TikTok and YouTube. The study found that 86 per cent of teens and parents interviewed believed children under 16 years will still find ways to access social media once the regulation is introduced. 'Young people are still faced with a huge amount of information to navigate once they do hit 16 and can legally enter that social media space," Dr Rhodes said. Lifeline 13 11 14 Butterfly Foundation 1800 334 673 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
