Study Finds Black Kids Are More Likely to Drown in Swimming Pools

  • 10 years ago
According to a study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black children between the ages of 5 to 19 are drowning in swimming pools at a rate over five times higher than Caucasian children. The rate of white children drowning goes down dramatically after the age of five, which experts attribute to swimming lessons.

According to a study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black children between the ages of 5 to 19 are drowning in swimming pools at a rate over five times higher than white children .

The rate of white children drowning goes down dramatically after the age of five, which experts attribute to swimming lessons.

Results of the study say that black children have a 40 percent higher drowning rate than whites of the same age.

Lead author of the study, Doctor Julie Gilchrist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the results are probably based on cultural differences, where white families are more likely to partake in water sports, or leisure activities that involve a pool or beach.

In a previous study, 60 percent of the African-American children said they couldn’t swim or reported feeling uncomfortable in the deep end of the pool compared to 31 percent of the Caucasian children.

The largest disparity was for children between the ages of 11 and 12, when results of the study say black children are 10 times more likely to drown than white children.

Recommended