Recommendations for the prevention of drowning

Abstract

Drowning is the second leading cause of non-intentional death in children under the age of 19 in Europe. Weather conditions in Spain allow an extended period of contact with water, therefore increasing the risk of drowning (due to the increased exposure), and constitutes the second leading cause of accidental death in children less than 14 years of age. In children younger than 5 years, drowning occurs mostly in pools belonging to private homes or communities, while in older children, drowning is often linked to aquatic recreational activities in lakes, sea, rivers and canals, and at times associated with alcohol consumption. In this article, the Committee on Safety and Non-Intentional Injury Prevention in Childhood of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics provides a series of architectonic, educational and legislative recommendations to prevent such incidents.