Water Safety Crucial In Summer Months

Research released this spring from the National Safe Kids Campaign and Johnson & Johnson shows that 88 percent of children who drowned were under the supervision of another person, usually a family member.  Supervision was defined as being in the care of another individual, not necessarily in their direct line of sight.

While better quality supervision is critical, the study also found that many adults were not properly fencing pools, requiring use of personal flotation devices (PFDs), or teaching their children how to swim.  Additionally, studies found that the majority (55 percent) of parents say they are “not at all worried” or “not very worried” about their child drowning.

Drowning remains the second leading injury-related killer of children ages 1-14, claiming more than 900 children’s lives each year.  It is a complex issue with no single safety device that works in all cases.  Water safety entails the understanding and practice of four water safety wisdoms—supervision, environment, gear and education.

The report, Clear Danger: A National Study of Childhood Drowning and Related Attitudes and Behaviors, examined the circumstances of drowning deaths occurring in 2000 and 2001 among 496 children using data from Child Death Review Teams in 17 states.  

Safe Kids also commissioned nationally representative surveys of parents (of children 14 and under) and children ages 8 through 12 to determine knowledge, attitudes and behaviors concerning water safety.   

“Adults need to actively supervise children around water,” said Dr. Martin Eichelberger, director of Emergency Trauma Services at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and CEO of the National Safe Kids Campaign. “This means watching and listening at all times and staying close enough to intervene in an emergency. We know that parents are well-meaning and don’t want to put their children at risk.”  

U.S. Surgeon General Dr Richard Carmona added, “We want kids to be active and enjoy swimming but we want them to do it safely. Drowning is a silent killer that can strike even older, more experienced child swimmers.”

For more information on the study, visit www.safekids.org.