Poster #129 - Patterns, Trends, and the Effectiveness of Water Safety Regulations on Drowning Mortality in Indigenous Populations

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

This paper examines persistent racial disparities in drowning mortality in the United States, with a focus on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. The central research questions are: (1) to what extent have disparities in drowning mortality between AI/AN populations and other racial groups (White, Black, and Asian) persisted or changed from 2003 to 2020, despite overall national declines, and (2) how effective are conventional water safety regulations in reducing drowning mortality among AI/AN populations? While prior work documents elevated drowning rates among AI/AN individuals, less is known about how these disparities have evolved over time or how responsive they are to standard policy interventions.

This study contributes to the policy literature in two ways. First, it provides a systematic, longitudinal comparison of drowning mortality rates across racial groups using nationally representative data. Second, it evaluates the effectiveness of widely adopted water safety policies, including boating age requirements, personal flotation device (PFD) mandates, and licensing regulations, in reducing drowning mortality, with particular attention to heterogeneous effects across populations and geographic contexts. Alaska and Hawaii are examined as distinct policy environments given their unique exposure to natural water risks and demographic composition.

The empirical approach combines descriptive and quasi-experimental methods. I construct crude death rates (deaths per 100,000 population) by race, age, sex, and state using restricted-use U.S. mortality data and population denominators from CDC WONDER. Drowning deaths are identified using ICD-10 codes for unintentional and undetermined drowning. To assess policy effectiveness, I implement a difference-in-differences design leveraging variation in the timing and adoption of state-level water safety regulations.

Results will document whether national declines in drowning mortality have been equitably shared and will identify populations and regions where disparities persist or have widened. The policy analysis will assess whether conventional regulatory approaches are effective for AI/AN populations or whether their impact is limited in contexts characterized by high exposure to natural water environments and structural inequities.

These findings have direct implications for public policy. If standard water safety regulations are less effective for AI/AN communities, this would suggest the need for targeted, context-specific interventions, including investments in culturally responsive prevention strategies, infrastructure, and community-based programming. More broadly, the study informs how public health policies can be designed to address persistent disparities rather than relying on one-size-fits-all regulatory approaches.

Author

• Arabella Eileen Velleux, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
  Presenting Author