Children drown without a sound
A backyard swimming pool is a relaxing and fun place for children and families to have a poolside barbeque, pool party or to keep cool during hot summer days. However, as an injury epidemiologist, former lifeguard, and parent, it is critical that pool and spa owners, parents, and caregivers understand the risk and how easily a child can drown, both when the pool or spa is in use and when it is not in use. The risk of drowning is real, whether a child or adult. They drown without a sound or warning. Drowning is not like what you see in movies when a person who is drowning is yelling and waving their arms. When someone is drowning, they are unable to stay afloat, and it only takes seconds. They suddenly begin to drop downward under the water, quickly gasping for air, and eventually swallowing water and they sink to the bottom of the pool or spa. A person who is drowning does not have the ability to wave their arms or yell for help like you see in the movies. This is the same for both adults and children, they drown without a sound.
A child can drown in as little water as it takes to cover their mouth and nose, resulting in irreversible brain damage or death in only 4-6 minutes. In the United States, children ages 1-4 are among the highest of age categories for drowning, and most drown in backyard swimming pools and spas (CDC WONDER). Most toddler age children of 1-4 who have drowned in backyard swimming pools or spas, were not expected to have been in the pool or spa area but somewhere else in the home playing or sleeping. Nearly half of all drownings among children ages 5-13 also occur in backyard swimming pools and spas. Lack of supervision and access to the pool or spa are common risk factors for drownings (National Center for Health Statistics, 2021). Drowning deaths among children is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury deaths, with motor vehicle crashes ranking number one for children ages 1-14 (CDC WISQARS).
The risk of a child drowning in backyard swimming pool or spa is high, but fortunately it is 100% preventable (children also drown inside the home in bathtubs, toilets, buckets, sinks, etc. - see Childproofing Your Home for prevention recommendations). To reduce the risk, layers of protection (please see link to Pool Safety) for when the pool or spa is, 1) in-use, and 2) not-in-use, will help prevent a child from drowning and keep children safe (Denny et al., 2019; CPSC, 2019). If you have any questions regarding pool and spa safety, contact PoolSafety@procarseatsafety.com.
The risk of a child drowning in backyard swimming pool or spa is high, but fortunately it is 100% preventable (children also drown inside the home in bathtubs, toilets, buckets, sinks, etc. - see Childproofing Your Home for prevention recommendations). To reduce the risk, layers of protection (please see link to Pool Safety) for when the pool or spa is, 1) in-use, and 2) not-in-use, will help prevent a child from drowning and keep children safe (Denny et al., 2019; CPSC, 2019). If you have any questions regarding pool and spa safety, contact PoolSafety@procarseatsafety.com.
CDC WONDER. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) [Online]. Available at http://wonder.cdc.gov. Accessed 16 April 2021
CDC WISQARS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars. Accessed 16 April 2021.
Denny SA, Quan L, Gilchrist J, McCallin T, Shenoi R, Yusuf S, Hoffman B, Weiss J. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. Policy Statement – Prevention of Drowningexternal icon. Pediatrics 2019;143(5): e20190850
National Center for Health Statistics. (2021, July). Unintentional Drowning Deaths Among Children Aged 0–17 Years: United States, 1999–2019 (No. 413). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db413-H.pdf
U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Submersions related to non-pool and non-spa products, 2011 Report [online]. Available at: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/nonpoolsub2011.pdfpdf iconexternal icon. Accessed 16 April 2019.
CDC WISQARS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars. Accessed 16 April 2021.
Denny SA, Quan L, Gilchrist J, McCallin T, Shenoi R, Yusuf S, Hoffman B, Weiss J. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. Policy Statement – Prevention of Drowningexternal icon. Pediatrics 2019;143(5): e20190850
National Center for Health Statistics. (2021, July). Unintentional Drowning Deaths Among Children Aged 0–17 Years: United States, 1999–2019 (No. 413). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db413-H.pdf
U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Submersions related to non-pool and non-spa products, 2011 Report [online]. Available at: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/nonpoolsub2011.pdfpdf iconexternal icon. Accessed 16 April 2019.