Safe Swimming Research Articles

Causes of Aquaphobia in Swimming Beginners Aged 6 to 12 and Related Strategies in Swimming Instruction

The ages of 6 to 12 represent an ideal period for learning to swim; however, aquaphobia often poses a significant barrier to children's swimming education. This study employs field investigations, interviews, and observational methods to examine the causes of aquaphobia among swimming beginners aged 6 to 12 and to propose effective strategies for overcoming this issue. The research indicates that aquaphobia is influenced by a combination of psychological factors (such as mental resilience, understanding of swimming, poor body coordination, and competitive anxiety) and external environmental factors (including social and sports environment changes, alterations in breathing techniques, and inappropriate teaching methods by coaches). To mitigate aquaphobia, the study suggests two primary approaches: firstly, enhancing children's awareness of swimming safety, mastering proper breathing techniques, emphasizing comfort with water, establishing confidence in learning, and creating a positive learning environment; secondly, shifting learners' focus through imaginative visualization and gradual desensitization, ensuring a safe teaching environment, and progressively applying professional teaching methodologies. This research aims to provide strategies to address aquaphobia in young swimming novices, facilitating their mastery of swimming skills and promoting their physical development and the long-term advancement of swimming instruction.

Development of Multifunctional Tablet Formulation for Use In Swimming Pools

The pool waters pose certain risks to public health. Therefore, it is crucial for swimming pool water to meet the desired standards in terms of physical, chemical, and biological parameters, and to be regularly monitored to ensure the provision of healthy and safe swimming conditions. In our country, swimming pool water standards are determined in accordance with regulations set forth by the Ministry of Health. To maintain these standards, various pool chemicals are required, including pool water disinfectants, pH reducers, precipitators, brighteners, and algae inhibitors. The objective of our study is to develop a multifunctional tablet formulation, a technological innovation that combines the properties of these chemicals into a single product. To achieve this goal, we conducted physical and bactericidal tests on new formulations containing disinfectants such as calcium hypochlorite, trichloroisocyanuric acid, and sodium dichloroisocyanurate. The multifunctional tablet formulations developed provide an effective solution to meet and exceed the required standards for swimming pool water quality.

Collaborative valuation of ecosystem services to inform lake remediation

Cultural eutrophication—the pollution of water bodies with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from human activities—and associated harmful algal blooms are key issues facing decision-makers, yet costs are often identified as a barrier to restoration. When designed in collaboration with impacted communities, economic valuation of lake ecosystem services can contribute to informed environmental decision-making by quantifying economic benefits of lake restoration and understanding the trade-offs people are willing to make. Here, we collaborate with the local community, stakeholders, and decision-makers to develop and implement a discrete choice experiment survey to estimate people’s preferences and willingness to pay for restoring Elk/Beaver Lake, Canada, which has been experiencing worsening harmful algal blooms and other water quality issues. Over half of survey respondents (66%) indicated that water quality issues impact their use of the lake, and many (52%) indicated they did not feel safe swimming in or allowing their pets to drink from the lake (64%). Responses to the choice experiment are analyzed using choice models which reveal that the annual economic benefits of lake restoration across different model specifications ranged from $141 to $292 CAD per household with substantial heterogeneity across people. The aggregate annual benefits of lake restoration are $27 to $55 million which is notably greater than the estimated costs of restoration plans. This study contributes to the growing literature suggesting that there are substantial benefits to society from restoring lakes, thus the perception of cost as an insurmountable barrier to restoration of bloom-affected lakes requires reconsideration.

INTERPRETABLE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR RIP CURRENT DETECTION AND LOCALIZATION

A rip current is a strong, localized current of water which moves along and away from the shore. Identification of rip currents is important for both surf lifesavers/lifeguards when making decisions on where to designate safe swimming areas and for the general public when deciding on where to swim when lifeguards are on patrol. Our motivation is to enable better real-time detection of rip-currents to assist and improve decision-making and reduce the potential for loss of life. Our approach is to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that both identifies whether a rip-current exists in a video or image, but also localizes where that rip-current occurs.

Analisis tingkat pemahaman keselamatan berenang pada pengunjung kolam renang

This study was conducted to determine how high the level of understanding of swimming safety in swimming pool visitors in Surakarta City. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of understanding of swimming safety in swimming pool visitors in Surakarta City. This research is a quantitative research with data analysis with percentage sescriptive. Data collection using questionnaires. This study focused the population on pool visitors in Surakarta City. This sampling technique is incidental, which is a sampling technique based on chance, that is, anyone who incidentally meets the researcher. The sample of this study was 24 people. The results of this study are described in percentage, namely the level of knowledge of swimming pool visitors about swimming safety in Surakarta City is categorized into 3 categories, including the "low" category as many as 3 people or 12.5%, for the "medium" category as many as 4 people or 16.7%, while for the "high" category as many as 17 people or 70.8%. Overall more than 50% of pool visitors in Surakarta City have a high level of understanding about swimming safety.

Brachistochrone Bowl‐Inspired Hybrid Nanogenerator Integrated with Physio‐Electrochemical Multisensors for Self‐Sustainable Smart Pool Monitoring Systems (Adv. Energy Mater. 14/2023)

Smart Pool Monitoring Systems In article number 2203849, Jae Yeong Park and co-workers develop a brachistochrone bowl-inspired self-powered autonomous smart pool monitoring system (SPMS) for real-time monitoring of the various physico-electrochemical properties of pool water. The combined effort of the wave energy harvester and water quality sensors in the SPMS aids in maintaining a hygienic and safe swimming environment for both indoor and outdoor platforms.

Risk of Gastroenteritis from Swimming at a Wastewater-Impacted Tropical Beach Varies across Localized Scales.

Population growth and changing climate are expected to increase human exposure to pathogens in tropical coastal waters. We examined microbiological water quality in three rivers within 2.3 km of each other that impact a Costa Rican beach and in the ocean outside their plumes during the rainy and dry seasons. We performed quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to predict the risk of gastroenteritis associated with swimming and the amount of pathogen reduction needed to achieve safe conditions. Recreational water quality criteria based on enterococci were exceeded in >90% of river samples but in only 13% of ocean samples. Multivariate analysis grouped microbial observations by subwatershed and season in river samples but only by subwatershed in the ocean. The modeled median risk from all pathogens in river samples was between 0.345 and 0.577, 10-fold above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) benchmark of 0.036 (36 illnesses/1,000 swimmers). Norovirus genogroup I (NoVGI) contributed most to risk, but adenoviruses raised risk above the threshold in the two most urban subwatersheds. The risk was greater in the dry compared to the rainy season, due largely to the greater frequency of NoVGI detection (100% versus 41%). Viral log10 reduction needed to ensure safe swimming conditions varied by subwatershed and season and was greatest in the dry season (3.8 to 4.1 dry; 2.7 to 3.2 rainy). QMRA that accounts for seasonal and local variability of water quality contributes to understanding the complex influences of hydrology, land use, and environment on human health risk in tropical coastal areas and can contribute to improved beach management. IMPORTANCE This holistic investigation of sanitary water quality at a Costa Rican beach assessed microbial source tracking (MST) marker genes, pathogens, and indicators of sewage. Such studies are still rare in tropical climates. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) found that rivers impacting the beach consistently exceeded the U.S. EPA risk threshold for gastroenteritis of 36/1,000 swimmers. The study improves upon many QMRA studies by measuring specific pathogens, rather than relying on surrogates (indicator organisms or MST markers) or estimating pathogen concentrations from the literature. By analyzing microbial levels and estimating the risk of gastrointestinal illness in each river, we were able to discern differences in pathogen levels and human health risks even though all rivers were highly polluted by wastewater and were located less than 2.5 km from one another. This variability on a localized scale has not, to our knowledge, previously been demonstrated.

Brachistochrone Bowl‐Inspired Hybrid Nanogenerator Integrated with Physio‐Electrochemical Multisensors for Self‐Sustainable Smart Pool Monitoring Systems

AbstractMaintaining clean and fresh pool water requires regular monitoring and treatment. However, the employed methods are manual, complex, and time‐consuming. Herein, a self‐sustainable autonomous smart pool monitoring system (SPMS) that can monitor various physio‐electrochemical properties of the pool water in real‐time without requiring external power is proposed. SPMS includes an electromagnetic generator inspired by the novel brachistochrone bowl which harvests energy from random motion (peak power 72 mW at 4 Hz and 0.5 g) and supplies the wireless transmission unit and the highly sensitive multifunctional sensor unit (MSU) including pH (−60.71 mV pH−1), temperature (2.5 Ω °C−1), chloride (0.355 mV ppm−1; <250 ppm), conductivity (3.25 × 10−5 µS ppm−1), and wave motion (1.27 V Hz−1). The fabricated MSU has adequate sensitivity and accuracy to detect minor variations in the water quality for indoor and outdoor environments. Finally, the smart pool monitoring application of the SPMS is demonstrated in real‐time by acquiring the sensor data and wirelessly transmitting it to the custom‐developed mobile application utilizing harvested energy. Combining energy harvesting and water quality sensing, the free‐floating completely isolated SPMS device demonstrates a portable, freestanding, wireless, autonomous, and self‐powered pool monitoring system for maintaining a hygienic and safe swimming environment.

INFLUENCE OF SELECTED DETERMINANTS ON THE PERCEPTION OF BEACHES AS A TOURISM PRODUCT

INFLUENCE OF SELECTED DETERMINANTS ON THE PERCEPTION OF BEACHES AS A TOURISM PRODUCT

(Retracted) Swimming pool safety detection device based on computer vision

Computer vision (CV) technology refers to the process of computer simulation of human vision and has the ability to perceive the environment and technology of the human visual function. In reality, CV is essentially the study of visual perception, a discipline that studies how to make computers see as humans do. Machine vision mainly uses computers to simulate human visual functions, extract information from images of objective things, process and understand them, and finally use them for actual detection, measurement, and control. With the frequent occurrence of safety accidents, especially in swimming, it is necessary to make adequate preparations to reduce the occurrence of accidents. Swimming is affected by many external factors. While completing swimming technical movements, trainees must overcome the stimulation of water on the body and the interference of breathing, which can lead to accidents. We aim to study the safety detection device of swimming pools based on CV and use the current popular CV technology to monitor the safety problems of swimming pools. We study the target motion trajectory detection system based on CV and use Zhang’s plane calibration method to locate the camera. This research is based on how the computer back-end server realizes abnormal behavior detection, which greatly saves hardware costs. The experimental data shows that water quality is most important issue in swimming safety, accounting for 29% of the population, which indicates that water quality is the focus of users’ choosing swimming as an activity. Of those surveyed, 19 people could not deal with the risks when swimming, accounting for 24% of the total group surveyed, which indicates that people’s swimming safety coping ability needs to be improved.

Retracted] Can Swimming Teaching Prevent Drowning? An Experimental Study of Children in China

Background. The drowning death rate of Chinese students ranks among the top three in the world, and drowning has become an urgent problem for the country and society to solve. Objective. To test whether traditional swimming teaching can improve students’ knowledge and skills of water safety and reduce the probability of drowning in China. Methods. A total of 82 second‐grade students in elementary school were selected as experimental subjects, and the repeated measures analysis of variance experiment design was used to carry out the research. Results. After the experiment, the swimming safety education model significantly increased the scores of swimming safety knowledge and skills and the difference was statistically significant (t = 4.060, 5.325, P < 0.05); the attitude and behavior scores decreased, and the difference was statistically significant (t = −4.392, −2.201, P < 0.05). After the experiment, the swimming safety education model is more effective in teaching swimming safety knowledge, attitude, and behavior than the traditional swimming teaching, and the difference is statistically significant (t = 2.699, 3.852, 4.308, P < 0.05). After the experiment, when the traditional swimming teaching model is compared with the control group, the difference in swimming safety skills was statistically significant (t = 4.704, P < 0.05) and other dimensions were homogeneous. In conclusion, the traditional swimming teaching can only improve student’s swimming safety skills but cannot reduce student’s drowning injuries. The swimming safety education model is superior to the traditional swimming teaching in terms of swimming safety knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Recommendations. For beginners in swimming, the teaching content of swimming self‐rescue skills and swimming safety knowledge should be added.

Development of Survival Swimming Programs for People With Disabilities

Kim, K.-B.; Oh, C.; Ji, J.-G.; Choi, K.-H.; Kim, E.-J., and Nam-Jo, S.K., 2021. Development of survival swimming programs for people with disabilities. In: Lee, J.L.; Suh, K.-S.; Lee, B.; Shin, S.; and Lee, J. (eds.), Crisis and Integrated Management for Coastal and Marine Safety. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 114, pp. 637–641. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This study advocates for the development of a survival swimming program for people with disabilities by examining survival swimming training in Korea and other countries. As the memory of the MV Sewol tragedy is still vivid, the need for appropriate safety protocols, including swimming for survival in the event of a disaster, is clear. Government officials and related industry professionals must develop more comprehensive maritime safety protocols. Survival swimming programs are available in schools and to the public. Although prior research has examined the importance of these programs, no studies have been conducted on survival swimming programs for people with disabilities, who may learn these techniques to save their lives in times of crisis and enjoy safe leisure activities in the water. This study suggests the following: First, the focus of swimming programs in Korea should be on survival and safe swimming. Second, survival swimming education should be required by law. Third, it is necessary to develop swimming programs and guidelines for people with disabilities and to standardize them by creating detailed and specialized programs. Survival swimming programs for both the general public and people with disabilities must meet global standards and carefully consider participants' disability status and specific environmental factors of the programs' locations.

CASE STUDY OF NEARSHORE CURRENTS HAZARD ANALYSIS FOR RECREATIONAL BEACH DEVELOPMENT

Nearshore current generation at two coastlines contemplated for beach resort development is studied with the use of a numerical model for coexisting waves and currents. A nested-mesh technique was applied to consolidate the 2 domains of coarse and fine bathymetric data and to translate deep water wave conditions at the nearshore mesh boundary. The hydrodynamic model is validated using tide data at the nearest tide stations, while offshore wave conditions, determined from a wave hindcasting method, are inputted as quasi-stationary forcing. Simulations results of wave-current co-existing fields indicate local areas of rip currents within the project coastlines. In order to evaluate the safe swimming zones, an analysis of threshold currents under idealized conditions of human characteristics was carried out, that indicated a threshold of 0.16 mps for pure currents. With a safety margin to account for co-existing waves, rip current zones not exceeding 0.1 mps are considered safe and are used to designate the safe swimming areas for the 2 locations.

BEACH SLOPES FROM SATELLITE-DERIVED SHORELINES

The slope of the beach face is a critical parameter for coastal scientists and engineers studying sandy coastlines. However, despite its importance for coastal applications (engineering formulations, coastal flood modelling, swimming safety), it remains extremely difficult to obtain reliable estimates of the beachface slope over large spatial scales (hundreds to thousands of km of coastline). This presentation describes a new method to estimate the beach-face slope exclusively from space-borne observations: shoreline positions derived from publicly available optical imaging satellites and tide heights from satellite altimetry. This new technique is first validated against field measurements and then applied across hundreds of beaches in eastern Australia and California, USA (data available at http://coastsat.wrl.unsw.edu.au/).Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/U9zMbFX4gPk

Editors' note: Beware of deep water after subthalamic deep brain stimulation

In the article “Beware of deep water after subthalamic deep brain stimulation,” Drs. Waldvogel et al. reported 9 patients who lost their ability to swim after a surgery for deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus for Parkinson disease (PD). The patients had all been proficient swimmers despite their PD but experienced deterioration of their swimming skills after deep brain stimulation (DBS). In response, Drs. Bouça-Machado et al. contend that such swimming difficulties are seen not only in patients with DBS but also in patients with long-standing PD, citing 2 previous studies—a survey in which most patients noticed a decline in swimming after disease onset with close to half having a drowning/near-drowning episode and a study of swimming styles that found that almost three-quarters of patients could not swim, with most having difficulties with movement, breathing, and positioning during the attempt. In another response, Dr. Sidiropoulos cites a previous case report by Drs. Bangash et al. of profound swimming difficulties in a patient who received DBS in the zona incerta noting that a similar risk may exist with other targets and that the difficulty may be a task-specific dystonia. Dr. Sidiropoulos inquires whether the authors considered DBS reprogramming strategies and requested details about the stimulation parameters, DBS brand, the axial Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) subscores, and PD subtypes for these patients and wonders whether the robust reduction in levodopa dose post-DBS may have related to their worsened swimming abilities. Responding to these comments, the authors note that the patients reported in their study had in fact remained good swimmers despite their PD and only lost their swimming ability after DBS initiation. They report that inter-limb coordination—not dystonia—seemed to be the prominent problem in their patients. They clarify that the swimming difficulties could not be mitigated by reprogramming and do not name the DBS brand, deeming the procedure to be the key factor. They contend that if the swimming difficulties were related to the reduced dopaminergic medications, other motor tasks should also have deteriorated and that their patients showed improvement post-DBS including on axial UPDRS subscores. This exchange highlights the need for continued systematic study of swimming safety in patients with PD—both with and without DBS—and of the underlying pathophysiology of post-DBS swimming difficulties. In the article “Beware of deep water after subthalamic deep brain stimulation,” Drs. Waldvogel et al. reported 9 patients who lost their ability to swim after a surgery for deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus for Parkinson disease (PD). The patients had all been proficient swimmers despite their PD but experienced deterioration of their swimming skills after deep brain stimulation (DBS). In response, Drs. Bouça-Machado et al. contend that such swimming difficulties are seen not only in patients with DBS but also in patients with long-standing PD, citing 2 previous studies—a survey in which most patients noticed a decline in swimming after disease onset with close to half having a drowning/near-drowning episode and a study of swimming styles that found that almost three-quarters of patients could not swim, with most having difficulties with movement, breathing, and positioning during the attempt. In another response, Dr. Sidiropoulos cites a previous case report by Drs. Bangash et al. of profound swimming difficulties in a patient who received DBS in the zona incerta noting that a similar risk may exist with other targets and that the difficulty may be a task-specific dystonia. Dr. Sidiropoulos inquires whether the authors considered DBS reprogramming strategies and requested details about the stimulation parameters, DBS brand, the axial Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) subscores, and PD subtypes for these patients and wonders whether the robust reduction in levodopa dose post-DBS may have related to their worsened swimming abilities. Responding to these comments, the authors note that the patients reported in their study had in fact remained good swimmers despite their PD and only lost their swimming ability after DBS initiation. They report that inter-limb coordination—not dystonia—seemed to be the prominent problem in their patients. They clarify that the swimming difficulties could not be mitigated by reprogramming and do not name the DBS brand, deeming the procedure to be the key factor. They contend that if the swimming difficulties were related to the reduced dopaminergic medications, other motor tasks should also have deteriorated and that their patients showed improvement post-DBS including on axial UPDRS subscores. This exchange highlights the need for continued systematic study of swimming safety in patients with PD—both with and without DBS—and of the underlying pathophysiology of post-DBS swimming difficulties.

Comparing Accidental Drownings Between Local Permanent Residents and Internal Migrants in Pudong, Shanghai, China (2004–2017)

There were over 200 million internal migrants in China and their wellbeing is of great concern to the development of China. However, injury-related mortalities of the migrants, especially accidental drownings, were not uncommon, yet rarely studied. This study investigates accidental drownings in Pudong, Shanghai (2004–2017). Accidental drownings of the migrants in the police files were extracted (n = 363). Those of the local permanent residents were used as the comparison group (n = 160). Poisson regressions were used to estimate the rate ratios and the annual percentage change (“APC”). Child migrants aged 0–14 years were much more vulnerable to accidental drownings than their local counterparts (p < 0.001). The migrants had a declining trend of drowning (APC, − 11.2; 95% CI, − 13.0 to − 8.3). However, the local people aged 65 and above had an increasing trend (APC, 8.2; 95% CI, 1.6 to 15.9). In Shanghai, the drowning rates of child migrants were extremely high, whereas the adult migrants’ were at the middle-lower level around the world. Supervision from social workers or community services is recommended to reduce the risks of accidental drowning in child migrants. Providing safe swimming places and safety lessons could also be important. Furthermore, installation of safety barriers beside the rivers, creeks, and streams should be prioritized to protect the old people from drowning.

User's Perceptions about Rip Currents and Their Specific Management Approaches at a Densely Occupied Urban Beach

Silva-Cavalcanti, J.S.; Silva, A. R.L; Silva, J.C.P; Araújo, M.C.B; Maragotto, M.G., and Costa, M.F., 2020. User's perceptions abourt rip currents and their specific management approaches at a densely occupied urban beach. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 953-957. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.This research aimed to analyze the beach user`s perceptions about rip currents and their specific management approaches at a densely occupied urban beach. Semi-structured questionnaires (N = 216) inquired beach users about use, rip currents knowledge and other hazards. When the beach user's accepted to respond the inquire, they signed an Informed Consent Form. In the 189 valid interviews, females (68%) go to Pina and Boa Viagem beaches more often than males (32%). The choice of the beach part where the beach user will remain was based on easy access (75%), security (13%) and < 6% for fashionable sites, beverages and snacks availability. Rip currents identification is poor, and many are unaware of the meaning of beach safety flags (34%). Around 35% of beach users affirmed not knowing the meaning of the red flags. According to beach users, lifeguards designate areas that are safe for bathing using a pair of red flags. So, they believed that this flag means the area is patrolled by lifeguards, and therefore safer. Other beach users associated red flags to shark attacks (66%). Beach users respondents were asked which area they thought was the safest place to swim and they selected rip channels as the safest place to swim. Beach users declared they know how to swim (71%), however with a swimming ability of < 25 m (84,5%). Information about rip currents is an essential component in developing interventions aimed at reducing the risk of drowning events. Specific management approaches (e.g. red flags) need to focus on debunking rip current myths, to improve understanding of safe swimming areas. The use of flags to indicate the occurrence of rip currents was a partially effective measure of beach management aiming at the prevention of drowning or shark attacks due to beach user's reduced knowledge about rip currents in general and flags meaning.

Participatory science for coastal water quality: freshwater plume mapping and volunteer retention in a randomized informational intervention

Among the biggest threats to coastal water quality are freshwater discharges. It is difficult to predict the spatial extent of freshwater plumes at marine beaches because processes governing mass transport in the surf zone are complex. Participatory science approaches could facilitate collecting shoreline data, although volunteer sampling campaigns can be challenged by data quality and volunteer retention. The goals of this study were to (1) work with volunteers to estimate safe swimming distances at beaches that receive polluted discharges, and (2) test whether informational feedback to volunteers increased retention. Forty-six volunteers participated over 12 weeks in 2019 by collecting 1452 salinity measurements at beaches near the mouths of two Central California freshwater discharges and completing participation surveys. These measurements resulted in 145 distinct estimates of safe swimming distances (D90), spanning a range of environmental conditions during rainy and dry periods. Median D90s were 150 and 100 m at San Pedro Creek south and north, and 490 and 330 m at San Lorenzo River west and east, respectively. D90 was significantly associated with adjacent freshwater discharge rate at both discharges and tide level at one discharge. On average, the odds of volunteers conducting sampling decreased by 4% (95% CI: 1%, 7%) with each successive week. A randomized intervention providing repeated data feedback via email to volunteers did not affect their retention in the study.

A Review of Nonfatal Drowning in the Pediatric-Age Group: A 10-Year Experience at a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the nonfatal drowning experience, risk factors, intrahospital assessment and postincidental outcomes for children admitted to King Fahd Hospital of the University, AlKhobar, Saudi Arabia, over a 10-year period. Children up to the age of 14 years who were admitted with the diagnosis of nonfatal drowning from July 2005 to June 2015 were included. Data regarding demographics, timing, season and location of drowning, presence of an assigned lifeguard, duration of submersion and transport to hospital, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, initial Glasgow Coma Scale, temperature, pH, blood sugar level, total hospital stay, and discharge status were extrapolated, and their effects on the patient's outcome analyzed. Patients' outcomes were classified into either full recovery, moderate to severe neurological damage, or brain death. Fifty-one subjects were included in the study; 66.7% were males, 57% were younger than 6 years, and 80% were Saudi citizens. Of the total cases, 94% recovered fully, and 6% were diagnosed as having brain death or discharged from the intensive care unit with severe neurological injury. Submersion time of more than 5 minutes, Glasgow Coma Scale of 4 or less, pH of less than 7.1, temperature of 35°C or less, and blood sugar of 180 mg/dL or greater were found to correlate with bad outcomes with great statistical significance. The findings of this study were in line with results of most of the international and local studies on the subject. Significant defects have been concluded in prehospital medical care and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Adequate swimming safety regulations, assignments of lifeguards, and parental education should be taken into consideration by media and involved authorities.

Healthy and Safe Swimming Week - May 20-26, 2019.

This year's Healthy and Safe Swimming Week theme, "Pool Chemistry for Healthy and Safe Swimming," focuses on preventing pool chemical injuries. Pool chemicals prevent the spread of germs that cause illnesses and disease outbreaks; however, these same chemicals can cause injuries if mishandled. Each year, an estimated 3,000-5,000 emergency department visits caused by pool chemical injuries (e.g., poisonings from inhalation or ingestion of pool chemicals and dermatitis or conjunctivitis from pool chemical splashes) occur in the United States.