Most Parents Not Worried
About Kids' Drowning Risk

Despite the fact that drowning is the second leading cause of injury-related death among kids 14 and younger, most parents say they are not concerned about drowning, according to new findings published.

Dr. Angela Mickalide of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, which conducted the study, explained that parents typically associate water with pleasure, and forget that drowning can occur in as little as one inch of water.

"They were really overconfident," she said.

In contrast, Mickalide noted that parents are often hyper-alert when their kids are near fire, which is associated with more danger than is water.

Indeed, the study also found that 9 out of 10 of kids who drowned in 2000 and 2001 were being supervised, another indication that many adults don't realize how quickly children can lose consciousness in the water and drown, Mickalide said.

She added that she hopes these findings inspire parents to appreciate the threat water can pose. "What they should be doing is really, really watching kids in and around water," she said.

Mickalide and her colleagues presented the results of the study during a press conference on Wednesday in New York City.

In 2001, there were 859 children 14 years old or younger who died from accidental drowning.

As part of the study, the researchers reviewed the circumstances of drowning deaths of 496 children between 2000 and 2001, and surveyed 564 parents of children between 8 and 12 to determine their attitudes about drowning risk.

The vast majority of parents said they do not let their children swim unsupervised. However, many also admitted that they are often distracted while supposedly watching their children in the water, with many saying they talk to someone (38 percent), read (18 percent) or eat (17 percent).

Fifty-five percent of parents said they were either hardly worried or not at all concerned about their children's risk of dying.

In addition, nearly two thirds of parents who owned pools or spas lacked fencing that completely separates the pool area, and 43 percent of these areas had no self-closing or self-latching gates.

Parents also reported that they do not always require their children to wear personal flotation devices while boating or doing other potentially dangerous water activities.

In an interview with Reuters Health, Mickalide explained that children can drown in as little water as it takes to cover their nose and mouth. They can lose consciousness after only 2 submerged minutes, and develop irreversible brain damage after 4 to 6 minutes.

The report was released just before National SAFE KIDS week, May 1-8, sponsored by the SAFE KIDS campaign. This year, the organization is launching a water safety campaign called "Splash into Safety."

Reference Source 89

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