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After decades of decline, accidental drowning rates in the US are on the rise, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As Americans prepare to hit the pools and beaches over Memorial Day weekend, a new study suggests many lack the skills they need to stay safe in the water.
Approximately 15% of American adults – 40 million people – say they don't know how to swim. According to a new national study by the CDC, more than half of adults have never taken a swimming lesson. The new data on swimming skills in the US population was included in the Vital Signs Report released by the CDC on Tuesday.
It follows an increase in drowning deaths in the United States in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic. On average, nearly 4,000 Americans die from accidental drowning each year, a number that has changed little from 2011 to 2020.
But that number has risen by about 10% in the past few years, adding 500 to 600 more deaths each year to the annual figure. It is the first increase in at least drowning rates in the US. Two decades.
“When I look at the total number, more than 4,000 people are dying – that's more than 12 people a day – that's one person every two hours. And those are lives, not numbers,” said Dr. Debra Clock, CDC's chief medical officer.
The increase in drowning was even more dramatic for certain age and racial groups.
Drowning remains the leading cause of death for kindergarten-aged children. In the year In 2021 and 2022, drowning rates in this age group increased by nearly 30 percent. Although the number of drowning deaths among young children aged 4 and under increased in 2020, the rate of increase in that year was not statistically significant.
Blacks also have a faster rate of drowning than the general population. Compared to 2019, it was nearly 30% higher in 2021. This is despite the fact that black Americans report spending less recreational time in the water than whites and Hispanics. If drowning rates were calculated by exposure rather than population, the study's authors say, the disparity in black populations would likely be more pronounced.
In addition, the CDC's Swimming Skills Survey found that 1 in 3 black adults say they can't swim, compared to 1 in 7 adults in the general population, revealing a legacy of disparity and discrimination in the use of swimming pools in America. CDC.
Hispanic Americans, a group that does not have a disproportionately high drowning rate compared to white Hispanics, have a 25 percent increase in drowning rates in 2022 compared to 2019.
American Indians and Alaska Natives had the highest overall drowning rates of any race or ethnicity. In the year In 2019, there were about 3 drowning deaths per 100,000 people among American Indians and Alaska Natives, a rate that has shown little change over the course of the epidemic. By comparison, there were 1.2 accidental drowning deaths per 100,000 among whites in 2019.
Houry said it's hard to say exactly how the pandemic played a role in the increases. She says the study can only make associations — it can't address the causes — but many closing or enforcement policies that limit access have made it harder to get into public pools. Staffing was also a problem for many swimming pools.
“If the swimming pools had been closed for that year, there would have been people who didn't get swimming lessons and would have been behind. Getting swimming lessons,” Houry said.
Berkeley Champlin was unaware of the statistics surrounding drowning deaths among young children until her son, Gordie, tragically became one of them.
In July 2020, 3-year-old Gordie Champlin accidentally slipped through the sliding glass doors of Champlin's home in Livonia, Michigan while at work. Normally he was in kindergarten, but like many schools, it was closed at the time.
His father, who was with him, later found him in the family pool. He couldn't wake up.
Gordie loved animals and couldn't sleep at night without special stuffed animals: an elephant and a rabbit.
“I put the elephant and the rabbit in the coffin so they could always have them, because he was asleep,” Champlin said. She has veiled pictures tattooed on her forehead.
“If only he had swimming lessons,” she said.
Every year since Gordy's death, Champlin uses her grief to raise money for other children's swimming lessons.
“It is very expensive. “In some places, it costs $120 a month for a child to go to school,” Champlin said, making it unaffordable for some families.
Champlain set a goal of paying three children to learn to swim each year. This year, 42 families reached out to her for help, she said. GoFundMe account To raise money to cover it all.
“If there's someone else in this situation or you're on vacation or you're at the lake or a new pool or you don't have the standards in your area, swimming lessons are a way to prevent accidents. It's happening,” she said.
Clock, from the CDC, agrees.
“I think we forget that drowning is still a big problem for our young children and I think we can do something by making sure children know how to swim,” she said.
Houry said the CDC is funding tutoring programs through the Red Cross and the YMCA to help reduce the cost of education and make sure everyone who needs it has access, “because that equitable access is so important,” she added.
Houry says children should start taking swimming lessons between the ages of 1 and 4.
“If you're an adult and don't know how to swim, it's not too late to learn that swimming lesson. It's very important,” she said.
But time He said that while children can swim, adults should not be left unsupervised, drink alcohol or be distracted while watching children in the pool.
In settings like parties, where conversations or phones are easy to distract, the CDC says it's best to assign an adult to watch children in the pool. When swimming time is over, the The CDC recommends Close and lock the doors that provide water supply. If something happens, learning CPR can help you save a life before the paramedics arrive.
Houry said a fence that completely encloses the pool will help make backyards and community pools safer. In open water, like lakes, life jackets are also important for safety. When visiting a lake or ocean beach, it's a good idea to consider hazards such as currents before entering the water.
As Gordy's birthday approached on July 12, Champlin found herself wondering what kind of party the 6-year-old would want. Would he still like animals and superheroes or would it be something gaming like Roblox?
Just like in previous years, they spend the birthday at the zoo, which still holds the memory of her son.
“It's a no-go,” she said.