Drowning Prevention in Children and Adolescents

Overview

Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related death in children and adolescents and can occur quickly and silently, even in very small amounts of water. A lack of oxygen for only a short time can lead to severe brain injury or death (American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP], 2021; CDC, 2025).

High-Risk Environments and Groups

High-risk environments include bathtubs, buckets, swimming pools, rivers, lakes, dams, oceans, and water storage containers.

Infants and toddlers are particularly at risk in domestic settings, while adolescents face increased risk due to unsupervised swimming, overconfidence, and alcohol or substance use near water (CDC, 2025; HealthyChildren.org, 2026).

Prevention Strategies

Children and adolescents should:

  • Never swim alone, should use the buddy system,
  • Swim only in designated supervised areas,
  • Follow lifeguard instructions,
  • Wear life jackets around deep or open water.

Parents and caregivers should provide constant, close supervision near water, install
barriers around pools and water storage areas, empty containers immediately after use,
and enroll children in age-appropriate swimming lessons (AAP, 2021; CDC, 2025).

Emergency Response

If drowning is suspected or occurs:

  • Removed the child from the water immediately,
  • Contact emergency services,
  • Assess breathing by looking for chest movement, listening for breath sounds and feeling warm air from the nose:
    • If NOT breathing
      • Initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) initiated if trained.
    • If breathing,
      ▪ Place them in the recovery position (on their side).
      ▪ Keep them warm (remove wet clothes, cover them with blanket).
      ▪ Monitor breathing continuously

Medical evaluation is required even if the child appears to recover (AAP, 2021).

References

  1. American Academy of Pediatrics. (2021). Prevention of drowning. Pediatrics, 148(2), e2021052227. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052227
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Preventing drowning. https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/prevention
  3. HealthyChildren.org. (2026). Water safety for teens. https://www.healthychildren.org
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