Characteristics of people with and without pre-existing medical conditions who fatally drowned unintentially in Canada (2007–2016)
| Characteristic | No. (%)* of people who drowned n = 4288 | No. (%)* of people with a PEMC who drowned n = 1412 | No. (%)* of people without a PEMC who drowned n = 2876 | Unadjusted RR (95% CI) | Adjusted† RR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 3450 (80.5) | 1069 (75.7) | 2381 (82.8) | 0.91 (0.88–0.95) | 0.92 (0.88–0.95) |
| Age, yr | |||||
| < 5 | 187 (4.4) | 9 (0.6) | 178 (6.2) | 0.27 (0.14–0.53) | |
| 5–19 | 452 (10.5) | 56 (4.0) | 396 (13.8) | 0.75 (0.56–1.01) | |
| 20–34 | 1006 (23.5) | 164 (11.6) | 842 (29.3) | Ref. | |
| 35–64 | 1804 (42.1) | 646 (45.8) | 1158 (40.3) | 1.64 (1.52–1.74) | |
| ≥ 65 | 839 (19.6) | 537 (38.0) | 302 (10.5) | 4.9 (4.4–5.4) | |
| Age, yr; median (IQR) | 44 (25–60) | 58 (43–71) | 35 (22–53) | ||
| Location | |||||
| Rural | 1591 (37.1) | 402 (28.5) | 1189 (41.3) | 0.69 (0.62–0.76) | 0.70 (0.63–0.78) |
| Activity | |||||
| Aquatic activity | 1091 (25.4) | 322 (22.8) | 769 (26.7) | Ref. | |
| Bathing | 460 (10.7) | 336 (23.8) | 124 (4.3) | 5.6 (4.7–6.7) | 5.9 (4.8–7.0) |
| Boating | 1009 (23.5) | 225 (15.9) | 784 (27.3) | 0.36 (0.27–0.47) | 1.23 (0.98–1.52) |
| Nonaquatic activity | 909 (21.2) | 337 (23.9) | 572 (19.9) | 1.42 (1.26–1.60) | 1.45 (1.27–1.65) |
| Transportation | 798 (18.6) | 182 (12.9) | 616 (21.4) | 0.83 (0.71–0.97) | 0.83 (0.70–0.98) |
| Body of water | |||||
| Pool | 330 (7.7) | 138 (9.8) | 192 (6.7) | Ref. | |
| Hot tub or whirlpool | 75 (1.8) | 40 (2.8) | 35 (1.2) | 1.59 (0.97–2.59) | 1.05 (0.60–1.83) |
| Bathtub | 467 (10.9) | 341 (24.2) | 126 (4.4) | 3.4 (2.6–4.3) | 3.1 (2.3–4.2) |
| Lake or pond | 1550 (36.1) | 423 (30.0) | 1127 (39.2) | 0.64 (0.53–0.77) | 0.59 (0.47–0.73) |
| Flowing water | 1181 (27.5) | 292 (20.7) | 889 (31.0) | 0.55 (0.44–0.68) | 0.54 (0.42–0.69) |
| Ocean | 356 (8.3) | 82 (5.8) | 274 (9.5) | 0.44 (0.32–0.60) | 0.34 (0.24–0.48) |
| Accompaniment | |||||
| With at least 1 adult | 1670 (38.9) | 281 (19.9) | 1389 (48.3) | Ref. | |
| Alone or not witnessed | 2126 (49.6) | 1024 (72.5) | 1102 (38.3) | 1.84 (1.77–1.91) | 1.69 (1.6–1.7) |
| With bystanders only | 110 (2.6) | 42 (3.0) | 68 (2.4) | 2.75 (1.88–3.98) | 1.99 (1.32–2.97) |
| With minors only | 173 (4.0) | 14 (1.0) | 159 (5.5) | 0.43 (0.25–0.73) | 0.95 (0.54–1.61) |
| Alcohol use | |||||
| Present | 1537 (35.8) | 391 (27.7) | 1146 (39.8) | 0.70 (0.63–0.77) | 0.72 (0.65–0.80) |