Findings - Person
Non-intentional water-related fatalities by age and sex
The majority of the 62 fatalities occurred in males, who accounted for 49 (79%) fatalities.
Over half (36 out of 62, 58%) (fig. 5) of the children and young people were in the 18-24 years age group, even though the proportion of young people in this age group accounted for less than one third of the average annual population (2013-22) of children and young people aged 0-24 years of age.2 If it is expected that the proportion of fatalities in each age group was similar to the proportion of children and young people in each age group in the average annual population, the 18-24 years age group were over represented.
Nearly a quarter of the children and young people (15 out of 62, 24%) were in the 12-17 years age group. This would be expected if the proportion of fatalities in this age group was similar to the proportion in the average annual population, as this age group accounted for nearly one quarter of the annual average population (2013-22) of children and young people aged 0-24 years of age.2
Children in the 0-4 years age group and 5-11 years age group were under represented as both groups represented less than 20% of the deaths but accounted for nearly half the average annual population (2023-22).2
Fig 5. Proportion of non-intentional water-related fatalities in children and young people, Wales, 2013-22, by age group. (Produced by CDRP, using CDRP and WAID data).
Non-intentional water-related fatalities and involvement of alcohol and drugs
The presence of alcohol, drugs or a combination of alcohol and drugs were noted in 17 out of 62 children and young people. All were in the 18-24 years age group (17 out of 36, 47%) and none were noted in children under 18 years of age. The presence of alcohol or drugs was not noted by any supervisors of young children. It was not possible to determine the degree to which alcohol and drugs contributed to the fatalities in which alcohol and/or drugs were noted.
Non-intentional water-related fatalities and type of activity during the incident
There were several different types of activity which were grouped into whether the child or young person intended to enter the water during the fatal incident. Activities where children and young people intended entering the water included water play, swimming, and bathing. Activities where the child or young person had not intended entering the water included incidents involving boats or other vehicles and falls into or near water. Almost half (27 out of 62, 44%) (fig. 6) of the children and young people had not intended entering the water during the fatal incident.
Fig 6. Proportion of non-intentional water-related fatalities in children and young people, Wales, 2013-22, by type of activity. (Produced by CDRP, using CDRP and WAID data).
