Drowning
There are an estimated 236,000 water related deaths per year. Meaning worldwide it is a huge problem. In New Zealand there are about 103 deaths and 80% of these deaths are preventable. On the coastline lifeguards save about 1000 people per year from drowning.
You may not think that 103 deaths per year isn’t that bad, but it is still a number. My fertile question was “how can we prevent drowning” I came up with 2 solutions that I think will help with this problem. The first is to send children to swimming lessons at an earlier age. The second one is to educate people about the ocean and how it works.
What is drowning?
Drowning is a type of suffocation when your airways are surrounded by liquid like I said before about 236,000 people die a year from drowning. Drowning usually happens when a person is underwater for a long period of time and they start gasping for breath, when they gasp it allows water to flow into their lungs. Their lungs then get heavy and they start to run out of oxygen. There are two types of drowning. The first type is dry drowning, dry drowning is when water enters your lungs and your airways. When dry drowning occurs and you get out of the water you can drown out of the water. The second type is wet drowning which is almost the same but your airways partially close and if you get out of the water you usually won’t drown.
What are the main causes of
drowning?
There are many causes of drowning and they all play a part in the 236,000 people that die from drowning every year. And probably the most dangerous is rips. Rips occur on the coastline. Rips carry out water from the beach to the back of the break (behind where the waves are breaking). You may not think this is that bad but when a person that knows nothing about how they work it can end quite badly. A lot of people when they get caught in one swim against the current. Life guards have this thing called the 3 R’s which relates to when you are caught in a rip. Relax, raise and ride. Relax and resist the urge to fight against the current. Raise your hand so lifeguards or people can see that they can see you in trouble. And ride the rip most rips will circulate around and bring you back to shallow waters.
The second cause is big waves breaking on the shore and washing people away. A lot of people underestimate the power that some waves have. Because at some beaches a wave that looks small can wipe a person off their feet and drag them back out to sea.
The third one is people falling out of boats and young children drowning
In baths, spa’s and pools. A lot of babies drown in baths around the world. It also happens to people in the middle of a lake or in open ocean
They can fall off bang their head and drown which is why it is good to wear a life jacket.
Where does drowning usually occur? Drowning is most common in low and middle income countries. I think this is because they can’t afford to send people to swimming lessons, educate people, and afford equipment that helps you in the water (E.G. life jackets, donuts, and anything that keeps you afloat really). Drowning usually occurs in the open ocean and lakes. A small percentage drown in baths or small pools such as spas.
What areas are the most dangerous for
drowning in nz?
As I mentioned before, the open ocean and lakes are the most common causes of drowning. In New Zealand it is usually the beach. There are about 36 deaths per year that happen on the coast line meaning 34 percent of drownings happen the rest are drownings in small things like baths and pools. And a small percentage in lakes and rivers. The most dangerous beach in New Zealand is Piha on the west coast of Auckland. This beach is known for its pounding waves and strong rips. There are worse beaches around the world but in New Zealand piha is the worst.
What is the age group with the most drownings and why?
There are three main age groups where drowning is 0 to 4 where they usually drown in baths or pools. 5-14 usually have more experience but don’t know their limits and swimming strength. They think they can just go do it and be fine. The next age group is about 60 and over. And this usually happens to them because they think they are as strong as they used to be. All of these age groups think they can do anything. They think it can’t be that hard to swim but humans aren’t born with this skill like most animals. So we should educate them about how the water works.
What is being done to prevent drowning in New Zealand?
There are many things being done in New Zealand that have been done to attempt to lower the drowning numbers. Such as having lifeguards patrolling more than 80 beaches in New Zealand. There are also signs, swimming lessons and ad campaigns to help educate people about the water and to help prevent people from drowning.
What is the best way to prevent drowning?
So for this inquiry I came up with solutions to help prevent people from drowning. The first one is to send 0 to 4 year olds to swimming lessons because that age group has the most drownings. This starts at just educating the children's parents. And getting children to go to swimming lessons at a younger age, I think could help reduce the risk of young children drowning (0-4). The problem with this is it will cost a lot because if everyone does swimming lessons you will need to build more facilities some families might not be able to afford it and some families might not have enough time to send their children to swimming lessons. The second is to educate people in low-income countries. Because in poor countries the majority of people aren’t educated about the dangers of drowning, (E.G teach them about rips, waves, rapids, and just everything regarding water). To do this I think those countries just have to put up signs around the water. About that certain location (E.G. if there is a river just tell them about what kind of dangers there are like rapids or waterfalls.