Alcohol significantly raises drowning death risk in youth
Study of 638 pediatric drowning deaths in Canada found alcohol quadruples the risk of a child not being rescued.
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A new study from Simon Fraser University researchers examining 638 pediatric drowning deaths across Canada over 11 years has found a stark pattern: the presence of alcohol quadruples the risk that a child will not be rescued.
Teenagers aged 15 to 19 made up 33.5 percent of the deaths, while toddlers aged two to four accounted for 22 percent, and children five to 11 years old represented 20.5 percent. Infants were rescued in nearly 96 percent of cases, but teenagers were nearly eight times less likely to be rescued than infants.
Lead researcher Vienna Lam noted that the study underscores the vital importance of trained lifeguards in busy stretches of water. She pointed to Vancouver's recent decision to restore lifeguarding at nine beaches for the summer, partly due to the city's World Cup influx.
The research also highlighted a troubling gap: preteens who drowned while in the company of other minors but no adults were at particular risk. "Youth should not be assumed to be able to be a proxy for adult supervision," Lam said. "They just don't have the same capacity or decision-making as an adult."