BACKGROUND

ABSTRACT. Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related death in children. In 2000, more than 1400 US children younger than 20 years drowned. Most (91%) of these deaths were unintentional and were not related to boating. For each drowning death, it is estimated that at least 1 to 4 children suffer a serious nonfatal submersion event, many of which leave children with permanent disabilities. Environmental strategies, such as installa-tion of 4-sided fences around swimming pools, and be-havioral strategies, such as increased supervision of chil-dren while around water, are needed to prevent these tragedies