RALEIGH — The report's findings include:
Child drowning deaths are on the rise; the 42 reported for 2000 was the highest number in recent memory.Over 50 percent of the drowning deaths occurred in natural bodies of water, such as ponds, lakes, rivers and the ocean. Almost all occurred in fresh water. Older children were more likely to drown in natural bodies of water.Only 37 percent of the children who drowned were under adult supervision; less than 16 percent were reported as being able to swim; almost none were wearing any type of personal floatation device.Forty percent of the children were wading or swimming. Another 28 percent of the children were involved in non-water-related activities, and fell into a body of water. Others drowned while fishing, or while riding in a car that crashed and submerged. Eight children, all of them very young, drowned in a bathtub.One-quarter of all drownings occurred in swimming pools. Eighty percent occurred in residential pools, 16 percent in public pools, and 4 percent in other pools such as kiddie wading pools and fish ponds. Younger children were more likely to drown in swimming pools.Eighty percent of pool drownings occurred in above-ground, in contrast to in-ground, pools in 2000. This percentage has increased remarkably in recent years.In 2000, only 20 percent of the residential pools where children drowned were enclosed by a fence.In general, boys are more likely to drown than girls; after age 6, boys drowned three times more often than girls.Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
