Practical Steps to Prevent Drowning

Summer is here and despite the pandemic, people are finding creative ways to enjoy the season even in the comforts of their homes. Summer would not be complete without one of our favorite activities -- swimming. Most of us cannot go to the beach yet, but in social media, you would see many families installing portable swimming pools in their homes which is totally fun. However, we need to have some safety measures in place to prevent drowning especially among children.

Did you know that an average of 3,405 accidental drowning and submersion occurred annually in the Philippines based on PSA’s data from 2015 to 2020.

A third (36%)* of all drowning deaths in the Philippines occur among children under 14 years of age. Mortality is highest among children ages 1–4 years accounting for 5% of all deaths in this age group. Males are thrice as likely to drown than females. Highest incidence happened during the summer particularly the month of April and on Sundays.

The World Health Organization has identified these practical steps to reduce drowning:

Provide safe places away from water for preschool children.

Globally children aged 1–4 years are the most vulnerable to drowning as they are mobile and may fall into open or unobstructed water bodies from which they cannot get out. Lack of parental awareness about the risks and prevention of childhood drowning, inadequate supervision and extensive exposure to water bodies are notable risk factors for drowning in this age group.

Install barriers controlling access to water

Globally, the highest rates of drowning deaths occur among children aged 1–4 years, most of whom drown very close to home. The Global report on drowning identifies risk factors for child drowning as absent or inadequate supervision and barriers preventing access to water, and low hazard awareness.

Teach school-age children (aged over 6 years) swimming and water safety skills

Drowning is a leading cause of child death in countries of all income levels, though low- and middle-income countries account for over 90% of child drowning globally. This has led to increased interest in teaching swimming skills as a way to prevent drowning.

Train bystanders in safe rescue and resuscitation

Rescue and resuscitation have limited impact on reducing drowning mortality and morbidity (resources are more cost-effective when applied to drowning prevention) but bystander rescue and resuscitation can nevertheless make the difference between life and death in individual drowning situations.

Build resilience and manage flood risks and other hazards.

Flooding affects more people globally than any other natural hazard and drowning has been identified as the most significant cause of flood deaths, especially in Asia. In many regions of the world flood risk is expected to rise as a result of a mix of climate change, urban growth, and environmental change.

Set and enforce safe boating, shipping and ferry regulations

Making water transport safer for large and small vessels requires both regulatory and educational interventions, which in turn depend on other behaviour change initiatives such as training crew, generating a safety culture, and raising public awareness. Safety experts view regulation and enforcement and developing a safety culture as potentially the most effective measures to improve the safety of large vessels. They may be critical for improving safety on small vessels too.

Download copy of the complete guide here.

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*Antonio C.A.T., Consunji R.J. Epidemiology of child drowning injury in the Philippines. Inj. Prev. 2010