The author of the study, Dr. Ruth A. Brenner, of the Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said, "From our calculation, we are confident that swimming lessons do not increase drowning risk in this age group and is likely to have a protective effect.”
The study, conducted by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, discussed on the association between drowning and swimming lessons. The researchers spoke to the families of 88 children who drowned between 2003 and 2005 and the families of 213 children in the control group who were of the same age, gender and lived in the same county.
Analyzing the data the researchers discovered that only two of the 61 who had drowned (3 percent) in the age group of 1-4 years had taken formal swimming lessons, compared with 35 of the 134 controls (26 percent).
Parents also acknowledged that children who drowned were not good swimmers. Only five per cent were able to float on their back for 10 seconds, in comparison with 18 percent of the controls group.
According to the researchers, the relation between formal training and drowning was not statistically significant among children aged five to 19 years.
The authors reflected: "Previous concerns have been raised about the potential for swimming lessons to increase the risk of drowning, either through increased exposure to water or through decreased parental vigilance as parents become more confident in their child's swimming ability.”
Brenner stated, "In our study, many of the children who drowned, particularly in the older age group, were relatively skilled swimmers. Parents and caregivers who choose to enroll their children in swimming lessons should be cautioned that the most proficient swimmers can drown.”
Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury and death in kids, with nearly 200,000 casualties each year. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents to teach their children to swim by 5 years of age to reduce these risks. They feel it is vital for children to understand that panicking in a water incident will only hurt their ability to be safe while retrieving help.
Researchers felt that swimming alone would not prevent drowning, a complete prevention program like securing pool fencing and adult supervision is also essential.
Frederick P. Rivara, of the University of Washington, Seattle, and editor of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine said "This widely anticipated case-control study found that formal swimming lessons were strongly associated with a lower risk of drowning for preschool children aged 1 to 4 years. This is the age group at greatest risk of drowning and for which the idea of swimming lessons has been most controversial."
The study was published in the March issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
A step in the right direction!
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 or nearly 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:
1. Structured play
2. Water adjustment classes
3. Swimming readiness
4. “Swimming with devices”
5. Survival swimming
6. Modified adult swimming stroke
Regardless of whichever particular approach further research shows contributes most to the reduction of the risk of drowning, care giver and parent education must be a primary effort. 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 imitated such that we can all look to a day where not more child drowns.
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