Division of Health Information, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel.
Pediatric Pulmonary Unit and CF Center, Hadassah University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
Eur J Pediatr. 2024 Nov;183(11):4921-4928. doi: 10.1007/s00431-024-05771-5. Epub 2024 Sep 16.
This study analyzes the epidemiology of pediatric drowning in Israel from 2010 to 2022, focusing on differences across age groups, sex, and regions. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Ministry of Health's administrative databases, covering all children aged 0-17 years who were seen in the emergency department, discharged after hospitalization, or died at the scene due to drowning, excluding cases of intentional harm or suicide. The primary outcome was the annual drowning rate per 100,000 children, categorized by age, sex, and region, along with hospitalization duration, intensive care unit admissions, and mortality rates. A total of 2101 drowning incidents were identified, with 9% resulting in death. Higher drowning rates were found in younger children (1-4 years) and teenagers (15-17 years), with notable differences by sex. Drowning rates were higher in coastal regions and more frequent during winter and spring. An increase in drowning rates was observed over the last 3 years of the study (2020-2022). Children hospitalized for more than 3 days had significantly higher mortality rates, both in general wards and intensive care units.
Pediatric drowning is a persistent public health concern in Israel, with distinct seasonal, regional, age-specific, and sex-specific patterns in incidence and mortality. This study underscores the need for a comprehensive prevention strategy that includes year-round public education, environmental safety measures, and targeted interventions for high-risk groups to reduce drowning incidents and fatalities among children effectively.
• Pediatric drowning represents a significant public health challenge globally, with varying rates. • In Israel, pediatric drowning is the second leading cause of death from all injury-related deaths. Thus far, the measures and interventions to reduce fatalities were not proven effective enough.
• Pediatric drowning in Israel, with a 9% mortality rate, revealed a biphasic rate varied by sex and is higher in coastal regions and during winter and spring. • There was a notable increase in drowning incidents during the last 3 years of the study period (2020-2022), coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic.
本研究分析了 2010 年至 2022 年以色列儿科溺水的流行病学情况，重点关注不同年龄组、性别和地区的差异。
我们使用卫生部行政数据库中的数据进行了回顾性队列研究，涵盖了所有因溺水在急诊室就诊、住院后出院或在现场死亡的 0-17 岁儿童，不包括故意伤害或自杀的病例。主要结局指标是每 10 万名儿童的年溺水率，按年龄、性别和地区分类，以及住院时间、重症监护病房入院率和死亡率。
共确定了 2101 例溺水事件，其中 9%导致死亡。年龄较小（1-4 岁）和青少年（15-17 岁）的溺水率较高，性别差异显著。沿海地区的溺水率较高，冬季和春季更为频繁。在研究的最后 3 年（2020-2022 年）观察到溺水率有所上升。住院超过 3 天的儿童，无论是在普通病房还是重症监护病房，死亡率都显著更高。
儿科溺水是以色列一个持续存在的公共卫生问题，其发病率和死亡率具有明显的季节性、区域性、年龄特异性和性别特异性模式。本研究强调需要制定全面的预防策略，包括全年开展公众教育、采取环境安全措施以及针对高风险群体实施有针对性的干预措施，以有效减少儿童溺水事件和死亡人数。
