Inland Waterways Drowning Prevention project : A study of urban - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Inland Waterways Drowning Prevention project : A study of urban waterway users in two Australian states Grace Strugnell 1 , Rhiannon Birch 1 , Stephanie Enkel 2 , Damian Morgan 3 , Lauren Nimmo 2 , Dr. Bernadette Matthews 1 1 Life Saving Victoria 2
Grace Strugnell1, Rhiannon Birch1, Stephanie Enkel2, Damian Morgan3, Lauren Nimmo2, Dr. Bernadette Matthews1
Inland Waterways Drowning Prevention project:
A study of urban waterway users in two Australian states
1Life Saving Victoria 2Royal Life Saving Society WA 3Federation University Australia, Federation Business
School and ACRISP
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgment to Country This research is presented on land within the Kulin Nation.
Royal Life Saving Society – Western Australia Federation University Australia Royal Life Saving Society – Australia The Australian Government Respect the River – Saving lives in Australian rivers (national awareness campaign) All staff involved in the project
Background – Rivers, creeks and streams
Across Australia 2002 – 2017 Proportion of male drowning deaths 2002 – 2017 Nationally ranked river drowning blackspots
deaths
Yarra
Swan
Yarra
Swan
In the media: Risk-taking behaviour
Fatal drowning; ABC Online January 16 2017 Non-fatal drowning (injury); The Age Online November 21 2016
Addressing the issue
Knowledge
exposure Assessment
risk Determine ideal strategies to prevent inland waterway aquatic injury and death
Investigate behavioural patterns of waterway users In, on or around the waterbody Alcohol consumption Lifejacket use for boaters
To identify and document in situ behaviours that may place persons at relatively high drowning risk for the Yarra and Swan Rivers.
Aim
Swan River December 2016; Recreation zone, site 2.3
Methods
Methods
Methods
Data collected over a 12-month period, concluding November 2017
Number of people present, activities undertaken and observable demographic data
Simultaneous direct observations at both rivers
Randomised times and days 9 observation sites for each river
Yarra River July 2017; Recreation zone, site 2.1
Results
38% 34% 29% Seasonal Variation (no. of observations) - Swan Summer Autumn Winter 37% 33% 30% Seasonal Variation (no. of observations) - Yarra Summer Autumn Winter
11,363 individual observations over summer / autumn / winter
Results - Demographics
Yarra 56% Swan 53%
years old
years old
Yarra 85% Swan 69% Yarra 2% Swan 12%
Results – Activity details
YARRA SWAN Activity type Recreation 52% 86% Transit 41% 11% Work related 6% 3% Activity detail similarities Walking 33% 36% Talking/ device use 29% 28% Relaxing 23% 20% Activity detail differences Rowing 11% 0.3% Cycling 12% 4% Picnics 0.4% 6% Sightseeing 3% 19% Yarra River September 2017; CBD location, site 1.3
Results – Risk factors
YARRA SWAN Risk Factors Consuming alcohol 4.4% 3.3% Not wearing lifejacket 9.7% 10.4% Company – alone 42% 27% Company – with children 7% 21% Company – children aged 0 – 9 not actively supervised 15% 17%
Above: Yarra River October 2017; CBD location, site 1.1 Right: Risky behaviour showing no lifejackets and standing up in a small boat at dusk.
What next?
Yarra River August 2017; Recreation location, between sites 2.1 and 2.2
Conclusion
Life Saving Victoria. (2015). Victorian Drowning Report 2014/2015. Life Saving Victoria: Melbourne. Life Saving Victoria. (2016). Victorian Drowning Report 2015/2016. Life Saving Victoria: Melbourne. Royal Life Saving Society – Australia. (2017). Australian rivers have claimed more than 1,000 lives due to drowning in the past 15 years. Retrieved from: https://www.royallifesaving.com.au/about/news-and- events/news-items/australian-rivers-have-claimed-more-than-1,000-lives-due-to-drowning-in-the-past- 15-years.
References