Drowning Risk Varies by Age and Race

Almost 21,000 people under 30 died from drowning from 1999 to 2010 in the United States, and there were substantial variations in death rates depending on age, race and ethnicity.

An analysis published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that infants most commonly drowned in bathtubs, young children in swimming pools, and people over 10 in natural water settings.

Non-Hispanic whites at age 1 had a higher rate of drowning than blacks and Hispanics, possibly because whites have easier access to backyard swimming pools. But by age 10, drowning rates among blacks significantly exceeded those of whites and Hispanics, a difference that became narrower with age but was still apparent by age 29.

Swimming pools were generally safer than natural water settings, but blacks ages 5 to 19 were 5.5 times more likely to drown in pools than whites the same age.

The study is limited by a lack of data on who swims where — for example, if blacks have less access to swimming pools or choose not to use them, their rates of drowning may be even higher than the report indicates.

“Swimming is not just a recreational activity,” said the lead author, Dr. Julie Gilchrist, a researcher with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “This is a recreational activity that also happens to give you skills that might save your life.”

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR New York Times (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/drowning-risk-varies-by-age-and-race/)