Swimming pool drownings among US residents aged 5-24 years: understanding racial/ethnic disparities.
OBJECTIVE
We examined circumstances surrounding swimming pool drownings among US residents aged 5 to 24 years to understand why Black males and other racial/ethnic groups have high drowning rates.


METHODS
We obtained data about drowning deaths in the United States (1995-1998) from death certificates, medical examiner reports, and newspaper clippings collected by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.


RESULTS
During the study period, 678 US residents aged 5 to 24 years drowned in pools. Seventy-five percent were male, 47% were Black, 33% were White, and 12% were Hispanic. Drowning rates were highest among Black males, and this increased risk persisted after we controlled for income. The majority of Black victims (51%) drowned in public pools, the majority of White victims (55%) drowned in residential pools, and the majority of Hispanic victims (35%) drowned in neighborhood pools (e.g., an apartment complex pool). Foreign-born males also had an increased risk for drowning compared with American-born males.


CONCLUSIONS
Targeted interventions are needed to reduce the incidence of swimming pool drownings across racial/ethnic groups, particularly adult supervision at public pools.
Saluja
Gitanjali
G
NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research, 6100 Executive Blvd, Rm 7B03 MSC 7510, Bethesda, MD 20892-7510, USA. salujag@mail.nih.gov
Brenner
Ruth A
RA
Trumble
Ann C
AC
Smith
Gordon S
GS
Schroeder
Tom
T
Cox
Christopher
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004332:Drowning / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013551:Swimming Pools; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American