Awareness=Answers

Since I started researching drowning deaths, I frequently hear that studies show that college-aged men have a higher risk of drowning.  I finally tracked down the genesis of that argument and found the facts don’t support it.  In fact, if you are going to rely on statistics, then there are statistics that also would suggest homicide.  

According to two University of Wisconsin, La Crosse professors,  “The leading cause of death for young men is accidents; males between the ages of 15-24 have a drowning rate 10 times higher than females, according to the National Safety Council; and 40 percent of males in college binge drink, wrote then-psychology chair Betsy Morgan and sociology chair Kim Vogt.”  

Let’s start with “males between the ages of 15-24 have a drowning rate 10 times higher than females.” True.   The reason for the increase is because of water sports.  According to an article in The Journal of Men’s Studies,” “Water sports are a major contributor to men’s higher injury and death rates. As noted previously, drowning is more common among men than women. Risky swimming, boating, and diving habits increase the risk of drowning and spinal cord injury among men and boys.” “. . . men’s alcohol use while boating also represents a substantial health risk. It contributes to a death rate for boating-related drownings that is 14 times greater for men than for women (CDC, 1993e).”   In Minnesota, The Department of Health, analyzed the drowning rates between 1980 – 1985.  The research concluded that 42% of all the drownings involved boating and 35% involved swimming.  The study found that only 11% of the  incidents happened in the winter and 71% resulted in snowmobiles and motor vehicles breaking through ice.

Let’s move to the second part of the initial quote “40% of males in college binge drink.”  I’m not sure what source the two La Crosse professors are citing.  I did find an extensive Harvard study  relating to college students and alcohol use.  It concluded that in 1999, 47.3% of men and 42.6% of women usually binge when consuming alcohol.  Since over 40% of women binge drink as well, how is this statistic even relevant to unexplained drowning deaths of men?

I don’t believe the drowning deaths of these  young men can be explained by statistics.  I think the young men who are drowning in cold climates in the winter aren’t accidentally falling in. To back up my own hypothesis, I found this statistic.  According to the same article in The Journal of Men’s Studies that I quoted earlier,  “Alcohol is implicated in nearly half of all homicides, which are four times more prevalent among men.”