Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. Young children, under the age of five, are at particularly increased risk with drowning rates peaking among children ages 1-2 years. It is apparent that mandatory pool fencing is effective in preventing submersion injuries in the young age group; however, there continues to be problems in implementing this proven strategy. The effectiveness of other prevention strategies is less well understood, and in some cases controversial, such as the value of swimming lessons, which may actually increase exposure. Without knowing this information, it is impossible for medical personnel to advise parents/caregivers on the appropriate age to enroll children in classes. Researchers at NICHD have proposed a case/control study to evaluate the effects of swimming lessons. However, several logistic and methodologic issues make this particularly challenging study to undertake. Cases must be identified and enrolled in a timely fashion. Appropriate controls must be identified and enrolled using standardized procedures. A clear definition of the exposure variable, swimming lessons, is needed. And, lastly, before embarking on a large-scale study, information is needed on how much it would cost to successfully accomplish these tasks. Thus the purpose of this pilot study is to determine both the feasibility and the costs of conducting a case/control study on the relationship between swimming lesions and drowning risk. A limited number of cases and controls will be enrolled in this pilot study. Controls will be ascertained using a variety of methods.
