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Drownings

Drownings peak in the summer. What experts say about pool safety – and how to keep your child safe.

The tragic drowning death of an NFL football player’s youngest daughter is a sad reminder to prioritize pool safety as child drowning rates remain high throughout the country, experts say.

Two-year-old Arrayah Barrett, daughter of Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett, drowned Sunday morning after falling into the family’s swimming pool in Tampa, Florida.

"This can happen to any of us," said Dr. Corinne Bria, pediatric emergency medicine physician at Nemours Children’s Hospital. "What this demonstrates to me as a physician is that I need to lead with the proper anticipatory guidance to make sure parents have the tools to prevent this from happening."

As summer nears, here’s what parents should know about unintentional drowning among children and how to prevent it.

How common is child drowning?

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in U.S. among children ages 1 to 4, and the third-leading cause in Americans age 19 and younger, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Nearly 400 children under 15 die from drowning each year, the academy said; about 75% of those deaths involve kids younger than 5.

“It’s always tragic when this happens, and it can happen so fast,” said Dr. Toni Gross, emergency department chief at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “Younger kids are at risk because they’re smaller, they’re not as strong, and they may not have the opportunity to learn how to swim yet.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said overall rates of child drownings have steadily declined since 1999, but rates haven’t fallen equitably among all children. Drowning deaths declined among:

  • Non-Hispanic white children, from 1.3 per 100,000 in 1999 to 1.0 in 2019
  • Non-Hispanic Black children, from 2.7 in 1999 to 1.6 in 2003 but have been stable through 2019
  • Hispanic children, from 1.4 in 1999 to 0.8 in 2019

Which states have the highest rates of drowning?

The CDC reports rates of unintentional drowning deaths are highest in these five states, regardless of age:

  • Alaska: 4.75 per 100,000 people
  • Hawaii: 3.09 per 100,000
  • Louisiana: 2.20 per 100,000
  • Florida: 2.03 per 100,000
  • Montana: 1.96 per 100,000

Florida built the highest number of inground pools last year, installing more than 13,300, according to Angi, formerly known as Angie’s List, an online directory that connects people to home service providers. That was nearly double the number of pools built in runner-up California at about 7,900 and Texas at 7,500.

"Children are naturally attracted to water, and a lot of times there are fun things in water, like inner tubes or a colorful floaty," Bria said. In Florida, "we have the highest number per capita of pools, so unfortunately, we have a lot of opportunities for young children between the ages of 1 and 4 who drown."

The CDC reported unintentional drowning deaths were lowest in these five states:

  • Delaware: 0.65 per 100,000 people
  • New York: 0.68 per 100,000
  • Connecticut: 0.71 per 100,000
  • New Jersey: 0.74 per 100,000
  • Pennsylvania: 0.77 per 100,000

How to prevent child drowning

Even with adult supervision, Gross said, child drownings can happen in an instant. It’s important to follow these water safety guidelines to reduce risk of accidents.

  • Install fences, covers or alarms: All pools should be surrounded by a fence with a self-closing, locking gate, according to Nemours Children’s Health. If that isn’t possible, experts recommend using a cover when the pool isn’t in use. You can add protection by installing door and window alarms to alert parents when a child goes outside.
  • Assign a water watcher: During a gathering, plenty of adults may be around. But Gross said not everyone may be watching the pool. It’s important to assign an adult to watch children around the pool and enforce safety guidelines. Some water watcher programs encourage people to wear a special lanyard or scarf so other adults know who is responsible.
  • Use a life vest approved by the U.S. Coast Guard: Parents should get a Coast Guard-approved jacket for their child, because these vests are based on weight and promote swimming positions, Bria said. It's also important to ensure the life jacket fits snugly so the child doesn't slip out.
  • Teach your child how to swim: Nemours Children’s says parents can schedule swim lessons for kids as young as 1 year old. If parents don’t know how to swim, experts say, they should consider taking swim lessons, too.
  • Learn CPR: If a child falls into the pool, pull the child out of the water immediately, call 911 and start performing CPR, experts say. It's important to learn child CPR to bring blood to the heart, brain and other organs while emergency services are on their way. Experts recommend getting certified and keeping that certification current.

If your child swallows a lot of water, Gross recommends monitoring them for the rest of the day. Injuries can evolve several hours after a near-drowning.

When water gets down in the lung tissue, “it can cause inflammation and lead to shortness of breath and interfere with oxygen exchange that happens in the lungs,” she said. “Any sign that your child is breathing a bit harder or faster means they need to come and be seen by a doctor.”  

Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.

Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.

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