Working in collaboration with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) information was abstracted from death certificates for all non-boat related drowning deaths in children and adolescents less than 20 years of age. The free text portion of the death certificate often includes important information that is not included in national mortality files. Of particular importance is the specific site of the occurrence (e.g. swimming pool, lake, irrigation ditch, etc.), as interventions to prevent drowning deaths are site specific. Results from this study will provide the first in-depth look at the circumstances surrounding drowning deaths at a national level. For 1995, 1,420 death certificates were reviewed. The site of drowning was specified on 1308 (92%) death certificates. Fifty-five percent of infant drownings were in bathtubs. In children ages 1-4 years, 56% of drownings were in artificial pools and 26% were in other bodies of freshwater. After the age of five years, children were most likely to drown in freshwater settings which accounted for 54%, 61% and 69% of drownings among 5-9, 10-14, and 15-19 year olds, respectively. Study results were published in Pediatrics.
| Brenner, R A; Trumble, A C; Smith, G S et al. (2001) Where children drown, United States, 1995. Pediatrics 108:85-9 |
