MIAMI – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these are the factors that increase drowning risks:
Lack of swimming ability: Research has shown that professional swimming lessons can reduce the risk of children drowning.
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Lack of barriers: Barriers, such as pool fencing, prevent children from gaining access to the pool without supervision. A four-sided isolation fence reduces a child's risk of drowning by 83 percent, studies show.
Lack of close supervision: Drowning can happen quickly and quietly in bathtubs, swimming pools, buckets, and even in the presence of a lifeguard.
Location: Most children drown in home swimming pools. More than half of drownings among those 15-years-old and over happened in in natural water settings.
Failure to wear life jackets: In 2010, the U.S. Coast Guard reported that 72 percent of boating deaths were drownings. And 88 percent of victims were not wearing life jackets.
Alcohol use: Among teens and adults, alcohol use was involved in up to 70 percent of drowning deaths. Alcohol influences balance, coordination, and judgment, and its effects are heightened by sun exposure and heat.
Seizure disorders: For persons with seizure disorders, the bathtub is the site of highest drowning risk.