This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Survey: Water safety advice varies with child's age

Drowning prevention is commonly a part of pediatricians' safety counseling of children under age 13, according to a 1994 AAP Periodic Survey of Fellows. In fact, 8 in 10 pediatricians (83 percent) who counsel patients on injury prevention said they routinely discuss drowning prevention with parents of toddlers 1 to 4 years old, and 69 percent discuss water safety with parents of children under age 1 and with children 5 to 12 years old.

However, only 4 in 10 pediatricians discuss water safety with adolescent patients over age 13, survey data showed.

While the majority of pediatricians discuss water safety in their injury prevention counseling, fewer routinely identify families in their practice who have a residential swimming pool. Combining all patient age groups, 12 percent of pediatricians said they always identify families who have a residential swimming pool, while 52 percent sometimes did. Slightly more pediatricians routinely recommend fencing, or advise learning CPR: 30 percent said they always recommend four-sided isolation fencing to families with pools and 38 percent sometimes did. One in five pediatricians (22 percent) routinely advise parents to learn CPR, while 63 percent sometimes do so.