November 15, 2006

Drowning Risk Greatest for Blacks

Nearly half of U.S. deaths involve blacks, mostly young males, study finds

Nearly half of U.S. deaths involve blacks, mostly young males, study finds

Tuesday, March 7, 2006—One of the largest studies of its kind confirms that young blacks—especially males—are much more likely to drown in pools than whites.

In fact, almost half of all recorded drowning deaths among people aged 5 to 24 are among blacks, according to the study in the April issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Blacks are especially likely to drown in motel and hotel pools, while whites tend to drown in private pools.

Researchers don't know why black kids are at higher risk of drowning. Still, "this tells us what kinds of pools we need to target when we're creating interventions," said study author Gitanjali Saluja, a researcher with the U.S. National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.

Saluja and colleagues examined a federal database of 678 drowning deaths in the United States from 1995-1998. All the victims were aged 5-24.

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