JCU and Royal Life Saving researchers to breathalyse swimmers

Principle investigator Amy Peden, PhD Candidate at James Cook University and National Manager of Research and Policy at Royal Life Saving Society - Australia, has been investigating drowning deaths in rivers for several years.

“The culture of drinking while swimming, boating and fishing at local rivers is a big part of the drowning problem. Understanding how commonplace drinking is, and how it influences risk taking is one of the main reasons we’re here in Townsville,” she said.

Ms Peden said rivers are the leading location for drowning in Australia, with an average of 74 drowning deaths per year.

Royal Life Saving research shows that for each fatal drowning, a further three people are hospitalised due to a non-fatal drowning incident. Alcohol is known to be a major contributing factor.

“Identifying alcohol consumption patterns and attitudes towards drinking and aquatic activity are vital given the strong association between alcohol and river drowning. It’s thought alcohol consumption leads to increased risk taking, and a failure to see dangers like snags, current and rocks until it is too late,” she said.

Ms Peden said the average blood alcohol content (BAC) of adult drowning victims in Australia is 0.20%.

“That’s four times the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle or a boat. We need to better understand why people are taking such risks,” she said.

The research is part of a range of studies conducted by JCU and Royal Life Saving examining the epidemiology, risk factors and strategies for the prevention of unintentional drowning in rivers.

Ms Peden said she hopes it will contribute to the saving of lives both in Australia and internationally as the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates drowning claims an estimated 372,000 lives per year, many in rivers in developing countries, including across the Asia Pacific region.

Justin Scarr, CEO, Royal Life Saving said the research is a world-first and is supported by funding from the Australian Government for Royal Life Saving’s Respect the River program.

“This program is all about raising awareness of drowning risk factors and equipping everyone with the skills to enjoy our beautiful rivers, creeks and streams safely,” he said.

Research by the two organisations has already contributed to key education initiatives highlighting the risks of drinking and swimming with the release of the “Don’t Let Your Mates Drink and Drown” campaign, targeting males aged 18 to 34 years.

JCU Associate Professor Richard Franklin is the study’s supervisor and co-investigator.

“It’s great to see this partnership tackling challenges in our backyard, especially considering the high toll river-related drowning deaths place on regional and remote communities. James Cook University is proud to be a partner in this research which will continue to save lives, long after it’s complete,” he said.

Research will be conducted at key river drowning blackspots in both Queensland and New South Wales across January and February, with results to be published in academic journals.

For more information on the Respect the River program see here.