• As stated in research by Irwin, Irwin, Ryan and Drayer (2009) in testing swimming aptitude, they found that 64% of African American, 45% Hispanic/Latinx children and 40% for Caucasian children have no/low swimming ability (Irwin et al., 2009).

  • If parents have no/low swimming ability, there is also a high likelihood their children will not have swimming skills (Irwin et. al, 2009). Within this research, 78% of African American families reported significantly higher numbers than (62%) Hispanic/Latinx and (67%) Caucasian children

  • In a recent research by Ito (2014) found that African American and Hispanic/Latinx participants reported that they were significantly less skilled or comfortable in the pool and are less likely to come from a home that regularly exercises, can swim, or encourages swimming as compared to White and Asian participants.

  • Similarly, multiple researchers have recently reported that African American and Hispanic/Latino children are six times more likely to come from a family in which neither parent can swim (American Red Cross, 2018; Irwin et al., 2009).

  • Young children ages 1-5 years old and African American males ages 5-19 years old were significantly higher than any other population to drown (Gilchrist & Parker, 2014).

  • African American youth are more likely to drown in public pools, (47%) when compared with White non-Hispanic (33%) and Hispanic/Latinx populations (12%) (Saluja, Brenner, Trumble, Smith, Schroeder & Cox, 2006).

  • Although, the Hispanic/ Latinx populations drown in public pools at a lower rate as indicated above, the drowning rates for Hispanic males aged 15 to 24 years were 2 to 5 times greater than among White males, but had lower rates compared with Black non-Hispanic males of comparable age (Gilchrist & Parker, 2014; Saluja, et. al, 2006).

  • Drowning rates in public pools are highest among African American males ages 11-12 years old at 10 times the rate of white children in the same age range (CDC, 2014).

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control...

 
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From 2005 – 2014 there were approximately 10 unintentional drowning deaths per day.

 

One in five American’s who die from drowning are children 14 and younger.

 

Children ages 1 – 4 have the highest drowning rates.

 

Nearly 80% of Americans who die from drowning are male.

 

Black children 5 – 19 drown at rates 5.5 times higher than white children in pools.

 

Black children 11-12 drown in pools at rates 10 times those of whites.