Pediatricians Group Issues Updated Drowning Prevention Guidelines

The American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations on drowning prevention Monday ahead of the summer swimming season. The guidelines address widening disparities in fatal pediatric drowning rates based on race and ethnicity, according to the group.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death in children between the ages of 1 and 4. U.S. die from drowning each year. 5 times as likely to drown as white people under 30, and American Indian and Alaska Native people under 30 twice as likely to drown as their white counterparts, according to the CDC.

Among children and youth, drowning has the highest case-fatality rate, 13%, after firearm injuries. , drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury or death in kids ages 5 through 14 years old, after motor vehicle injuries and deaths.

The new recommendations highlight six key points for parents and caregivers. Young children should never be left alone or with other kids in or near bathtubs, pools, spas, or in or near flowing or standing water, even momentarily. A supervising adult with swimming skills should always be within arm's length of kids and provide touch supervision for an infant, toddler, or weak swimmer who is in or around water.

Children should receive swimming lessons as early as after their first birthday. Children near water, non-swimmers, and those riding on boats should wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets, and adults should model their use. Caregivers and teenagers should learn CPR and know how to perform safe rescue.

Fencing requirements, life jacket regulations, lifeguard standards, and safe natural-water designations are proven strategies to reduce drowning deaths. "Toddlers are at the highest risk of drowning, as they can escape without notice even under the best of circumstances," Dr.

Rohit P. Shenoi, lead author of the new recommendations, said in a statement. " The new recommendations come after an 18-year-old died in an apparent drowning while swimming with friends on Saturday in Shelter Island, New York, according to a news release from the Shelter Island Police Department.