The drowning research process involves data collection, research tabulation and analysis, and development of reports. A data collection form and process is used to extract the water-related deaths data from the offices of the Chief Coroners and Medical Examiners in each province. The scope of this research:
- Collects the data needed to profile victims of aquatic incidents, including the circumstances and contributing factors under which these incidents occurred.
- Includes all deaths in each province and Canada overall resulting from incidents "in, on or near water"; "near-water" incidents were included if the incident was closely related to water-based recreational, vocational or daily living activity, or if the presence of water appeared to be an attraction contributing to the incident.
- Includes only preventable (unintentional) deaths. It does not include deaths due to natural causes, suicide, or homicide.
Drowning: A Top Cause of Death
A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) says drowning is among the top causes of death for children worldwide, and programs like the Society's Swim to Survive could have immunization-like benefits. The WHO report identifies drowning as a major public health issue and calls on the world's nations to ramp up drowning prevention efforts. Download the Global report on drowning: preventing a leading killer.