Five life-saving water safety measures every parent should know

As families gather at pool parties, beaches, and lakes this summer, experts stress that water safety is crucial to prevent drownings, especially among children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that drowning rates have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 4,500 deaths in 2022 alone.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4. For this reason, Dr. Julie Gilchrist, Medical & Science Director for the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, emphasizes the importance of knowing life-saving swim skills. “And I don’t know of any other injury with hospitalization rates as dramatically high as those of drowning," she says. While drowning rates are highest in toddlers and preschoolers, teens and young adults also have increased rates of drowning. “Drowning rates also go up after about age 65 or 70 because of secondary health consequences.” These include things such as a drop in blood sugar or blood pressure, a cramp or even a stroke.

Oxygen deprivation that comes with drowning causes what Gilchrist calls a “global hypoxic injury” to the brain and other organs. That means not just one part of an organ or the body is affected. “And in the hospital, we don’t have a lot of interventions. That’s why prevention is so incredibly critical because once it happens we have few interventions to treat it,” she says.

Unpacking misconceptions

Widespread misunderstandings about water safety contribute to drowning rates, and Gilchrist says addressing those can help greatly with prevention.

First, parents often assume they will hear it if their child is having a problem. “Drowning is incredibly silent and incredibly quick,” says Gilchrist. As drowning progresses, victims often struggle to breathe in a vertical position with only their faces above water. Eventually, they can’t raise their hands or yell. Older children might callout, but younger ones often don’t understand what’s happening.

“Another myth is people think that because they are a good swimmer, they can handle anything and aren’t at risk of drowning,” Gilchrist says. Being a good swimmer doesn’t guarantee safety, especially if you’re alone without lifeguards or others watching.

Addressing health equity

Drowning death rates vary by race. For American Indian or Alaska Native people under 30, rates are twice as high as for white people, with the highest disparities among those aged 25-29 (3.5 times higher). For Black people under 30, rates are 1.5 times higher, with the greatest disparities among Black children aged 5-9 (2.6 times higher) and 10-14 (3.6 times higher).

Addressing these disparities is more complex and multi-faceted than just increasing access to swimming lessons. Research shows that the long history of exclusion from public pools and water activities has had a lasting impact on making many Black, American Indian and Alaska Native people feel unwelcome in swimming environments. Supportive social institutions, swimming education in schools, and more welcoming swimming opportunities for these groups could help reduce drowning risks by promoting life-saving skills, water competency and general comfort around the water.

According to Gilchrist, “There is some good news: We have evidence-based interventions. We know what works,” she says. “Additionally, risks could be reduced in a single generation, because kids who swim become parents with kids who swim.”

For more information on staying safe this summer, please visit NDPA.org.

Five layers of protection

The good news is there are five scientifically proven interventions to reduce the risk of drowning, including:

Active supervision
Constant, attentive and capable supervision is vital, especially when children are near water. This means staying within arm’s reach of young children, avoiding distractions such as cell phones or reading materials, and knowing what signs of drowning to look for and what to do in the event of a drowning.
Life jacket use
Ensuring that children and adults wear appropriately fitting U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets when in or on natural bodies of water can prevent drowning by keeping airways above water. “It is estimated that 50% to 80% of boating-related fatalities are prevented by lifejackets,” Gilchrist says.
Teaching swimming safety skills early
“We have good science that shows kids as young as age one can learn lifesaving [water] skills, such as to flip [onto their backs] and float,” Gilchrist says. “If you have a one-year-old who is starting to walk, consider ensuring your child learns lifesaving skills.”
Securing pools and water sources
Installing four-sided isolation pool fencing with self-closing gates can prevent unsupervised young children from accessing pools. “A very high number of drownings among young children happen when it is non-swim time,” says Gilchrist.
Bystander CPR
CPR can restore oxygen to the brain and maintain blood flow in drowning victims, and bystander CPR has been shown to improve outcomes and save lives. Even children can perform effective CPR. Children as young as 4 can assess the first links in the chain of survival. By ages 10 to 12, children can achieve effective chest compression depths and ventilation volumes on training manikins. The first step is to call 911. Then, assess whether the person is conscious or breathing. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing regularly, start CPR immediately. Gilchrist emphasizes the importance of rescue breaths in CPR for drowning victims.

In addition to these five proven layers of prevention, Gilchrist says school systems can teach children the basics. Teaching children to never swim without adult supervision and to understand hazards such as water currents and underwater obstacles can be taught out of the water. “In-water water safety classes ‒ not swim class ‒ teach lifesaving skills, like floating,” Gilchrist says.

Gilchrist also says that municipalities can help keep people safe around bodies of water. “[They can] guide people to places with lifeguards, no currents and no drop-offs,” she says. They can also offer water safety tools. A drowning prevention coalition in Chicago is working to ensure that throw rings and buoys are provided around popular swimming spots on Lake Michigan, while a coalition in Seattle has set up lifejacket loaner stations. Broward County Florida provides in-water water safety classes as part of the regular school day.