Drowning rates as a qualitative aspect of regional development

Purpose: Spatial and social aspects of safety of people using water areas in the West Pomeranian Region in 2011–2015 with the use of drowning indicators are presented. The main research problem concerned the dependence of the number and distribution of drownings on spatial and social factors.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The achievement of the research objective defined in this way was achieved using the methods of descriptive statistics in conjunction with data from spatial information databases. This allowed for the presentation of a unified drowning index and for the determination of new drowning indexes in water areas in terms of quality.

Findings: The drowning rate may be a diagnosed qualitative feature that allows identifying regional development with a constant increase in the living standards of the region's inhabitants. The drowning index as well as other regional development indicators may be affected by changes in the economic potential, economic structure, natural environment, infrastructure development, spatial order, and spatial development. threats to the safety of people staying in water areas, including the identification of the most endangered areas, types of reservoirs and groups using water in the West Pomeranian Region.

Practical Implications: The results of the research may contribute to the adoption of the drowning index as a qualitative aspect of the analyses of regional development in Poland.

Originality/Value: An attempt was made to focus on drowning, which, in the authors' opinion, should be one of the elements of qualitative assessments of regional development regarding the transformation of socio-economic structures, because of which they acquire a new feature.