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Cohen Children's Medical Center Pediatric Health Updates

With Summer Fun comes Summer Safety

06/21/2011 -

The warm weather is finally here, school has ended and many children enjoy the summer by swimming in back yard pools or heading to the beach with their families. Here are a few things you should know before you let them go:

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that two children, aged 14 or younger, die each day from unintentional drowning.

Did you know?

  • Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children ages 1-14 years of age
  • 80% of people who die from drowning are male
  • Children 1to 4 have the highest drowning rates
  • Adolescents contribute to the high number of male drowning deaths
  • For individuals younger than 20, 47% of deaths were from fresh bodies of water, 32% occurred in artificial pools, 9% occurred in bathtubs and buckets (mostly infant drowning) and 4% occurred in salt water
  • Formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% for children 1 to 4
  • CPR improves outcomes in drowning victims
  • The CDC reports factors that influence drowning risks are:
  • Lack of Supervision and Barriers: Supervision by a lifeguard or designated water-watcher is important to protect young children when they are in the water, whether a pool or bathtub. But when children are not supposed to be in the water, supervision alone isn’t enough to keep them safe.
    • Barriers such as pool fencing should be used to help prevent young children from gaining access to the pool area without caregivers’ awareness (above-ground inflatable and portable pools should also be included). There is an 83% reduction in the risk of childhood drowning with a four-sided isolation pool fence, compared to three-sided property-line fencing.
    • Among children ages 1 to 4 years, most drownings occur in residential swimming pools. Most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time.
    • Special drain covers or a variety of vacuum-release mechanisms should be applied to pool and spa drains to prevent drain entrapment
       
  • Natural Water Settings (such as lakes, rivers, or the ocean): The percent of drownings in natural water settings increases with age. When a location was known, 65% of drownings among those 15 years and older occurred in natural water settings.
  • Lack of Life Jacket Use in Recreational Boating: In 2009, the U.S. Coast Guard received reports for 4,730 boating incidents; 3,358 boaters were reported injured, and 736 died. Among those who drowned, 9 out of 10 were not wearing life jackets.
  • Alcohol Use: Alcohol use is involved in up to half of adolescent and adult deaths associated with water recreation and about one in five reported boating fatalities. Alcohol influences balance, coordination, and judgment, and its effects are heightened by sun exposure and heat.
  • Medical Conditions: For persons with seizure disorders, drowning is the most common cause of unintentional injury death, with the bathtub as the site of highest drowning risk. The risk for children with autism increases with the degree of mental retardation.
     

What can you do?

  • Prevention is the Key!
  • Multiple “Layers of Protection” is a necessity
  • Adult supervision when in or around the Water.
  • Install a 4-sided fence to isolate the pool from the house
  • Swimming lessons for children
  • Learn Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
  • Do Not Use Air-Filled or Foam Toys such as inflatable arm bands.
  • Use Coast Guard approved life jackets
  • Avoid Alcohol.
  • Follow these safety guidelines so everyone can enjoy a safe and Happy Summer in and around water.

Cohen Children's Medical Center is a  member of a newly formed coalition the “Long Island Drowning Prevention Task Force”. The goal of this task force is to provide a collaborative effort educating families to reduce accidental drowning. Click here for more information regarding "Drowning Prevention".


Dr. Debora Riccardi, RN, CPNP
Director of Community Outreach
Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center
269-01 76th Ave
New Hyde Park, NY 11040
driccardi@nshs.edu

References:

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2011). Unintentional drowning: fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Water-Safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html

Weiss, J and the Committee on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention (AAP, 2010). Technical Report- Prevention of Drowning. Retrieved from http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/pediatrics;112/2/440.pdf

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