Study first to show where child drowning occurs

A new study of drowning finds toddlers at risk in pools, while older children are at risk in lakes, ponds or rivers

By Thurston Hatcher
CNN

(CNN) -- While the majority of accidental infant drowning occurred in bathtubs, nearly two-thirds of cases involving older children were in rivers, lakes and ponds, a new study shows.

Described as the first to examine nationally where drowning took place, the study also found that more than half of drowning incidents among toddlers occurred in swimming pools.

"Drowning is still a big problem in this country and these deaths are preventable," said Dr. Ruth A. Brenner, an investigator with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Researchers examined 1,420 death certificates from 1995, representing about 98 percent of all drowning deaths among children under age 20. The results were published in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics.

The study found 37 percent of those who drowned were between the ages of 1 an 4, and 29 percent were ages 15 to 19. Seventy-four percent of drowning victims were male.

Among infants, 78 percent of drownings occurred at home, primarily in bathtubs. Toddlers between age 1 and 4 were most likely to drown in artificial pools -- although fresh water sites such as ponds and lakes also claimed a high number of toddlers -- and children over 5 years old were most likely to drown in fresh water.

About 1,500 children under age 20 die each year from drowning in the United States.

"I still think there's a need to know more about the specific circumstances under which drowning (incidents) are occurring so that we can have varied, tailored messages and strategies to prevent these ... in the future," Brenner said.

Black males face higher risk

Brenner noted that about one-fourth of drowning cases among toddlers occurred in freshwater sites, while one third among African-American males over age 5 happened in swimming pools.

"It just emphasizes the need to preventive strategies that are going to cover all sites. Even within age groups, kids drown in a variety of sites," she said.

Black males faced a 15 times greater risk of drowning in a swimming pool than white males, the study found.

Although the reason is unknown, possible explanations include public pools that are less safe, due to fewer lifeguards or larger crowds, or poorer swimming ability stemming from fewer opportunities to get swimming lessons.

Joining Brenner's agency with the study were researchers with the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.