As a behavioral scientist working for the last 43 years to prevent drowning deaths and near-drowning scenarios that involve infants and young children, it is encouraging to see that the ground breaking study recently published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine was introduced with an editorial comment titled, “Drowning Prevention, the time is now.” Sadly, the strategy used for the last several decades consisting of supervision, pool fences and CPR has done little to reduce the growing number of children under age 5 in the United States who drown every year. That strategy has also done little to reduce the $3.4 billion spent every year for the medical care associated with near-drowning survivors under 5 years of age.
Dr. Brenner’s work in the area of drowning prevention has consistently led to policy change and rethinking by medical and aquatic safety organizations. Her technical report, “Prevention of Drowning in Infants, Children, and Adolescents” published in Pediatrics in 2003 preceded the AAP policy Statement for Drowning Prevention. This new case study, “Association Between Swimming Lessons and Childhood Drowning” published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 2009, should serve as the starting point for the vital studies that must follow if we are to solve the problem of pediatric drowning. To move this initial study forward, we must have a concentrated effort that includes work from several disciplines.
A more inclusive definition of drowning and its more immediate and accurate reporting would be of great benefit. The last year for data on morbidity and mortality from the CDC is 2005.
We must have operational definitions for the various types of aquatic instruction infants and young children are exposed to in the United States and how those various approaches contribute to the noted reduction in drowning risk supported by Dr. Brenner’s study. Those six approaches, with different goals and objectives, are as follows:
- Structured play
- Water adjustment classes
- Swimming readiness
- “Swimming with devices”
- Survival swimming
- Modified adult swimming stroke
Care-giver and parent education must be a primary effort, regardless of the particular approach further research will show as contributing most to reduce the risk of drowning. Lessons for infants in the water, whether formal or not, must include comprehensive and effective adult education. The programs should aim to make the baby safer in the water and the family safer around it. In that, our research has shown segmented supervision, permanent pool fences with gates that are spring loaded and fitted with tamper-proof alarms and the engineering of the aquatic exposures and environment to complement the survival swimming instruction for the young children has worked without mishap for over 175,000 families since 1966.
We look forward to contributing to the growing body of research that Dr. Brenner’s study has initiated such that we can all look to a day where not one more child drowns.
Tags: AAP, CDC, drowning, Parenting, pool, swimming, swimming lessons
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