Drownings in Poland in the years 2013-2021 – trends, changes, inequalities, and preliminary conclusions for public health

Introduction:
Despite progress in the field of water safety, Poland has been experiencing much higher mortality due to drowning than in other countries of the EU region. The main aim of the paper is to examine the changes in drowning frequency and their causes.

Material and methods:
All available sources of data on drowning in Poland were analysed. Crude and age-standardized mortality rates due to drowning were calculated. A jointpoint regression model was employed in the analysis of long-term trends in annual mortality rates.

Results:
In total, 7350 persons died due to various types of drowning (ICD-10 codes: W65-W74, V90, V92, X37-X39, X71, Y21) in Poland in the years 2013-2021. The most frequent type of registered drowning was a drowning in natural waters – 3990 (54.3% of registered cases). The second cause of death due to drowning were falls into the water – 914 (12.4% of cases). Age-standardized death rates of males due to drowning in the years 2013-2021 dropped from 4.3 to 2.7 per 100,000. Among females the age-standardized rate decreased from 0.8 to 0.6 per 100,000. The annual percentage change of mortality (APC) in Poland was –4.0%. The downward trend of mortality was only significant among males (APC = –4.4% vs. APC = –2.6% among females). Mortality reduction was especially high among the youngest age groups: 0-14 years old (APC = –7.9%) and 15-29 years old (APC = –6.5%).

Conclusions:
There is a need to properly address drowning prevention tailored to groups with risk factors in Poland such as males, elderly people, and people with low socio-economic status.